Just for you
by weloverasslin21
Summary: They were best friends. Inseparable. But when true feelings start to show, can the friendship stay intact? Or will new relationships be formed? Eventual AJ/Dolph pairing with mentions of other WWE characters.
1. Chapter 1

**Hey guys, so I'm back with another Zigglee fic! I wasn't sure whether to write a new one, but I love the couple and have had this idea in mind for a while. The only information you really need to know before reading this is that I'm not treating the events that happen in WWE as real life, but storyline and what happens in this fic is mainly backstage stuff.**

**I do not own any of the characters, they belong to WWE and this is simply a work of fiction. Hope you enjoy the first chapter. (:**

* * *

**Monday July 30****th**** 2012**

Relationships are always tricky. In most relationships, there are problems, obstacles, flaws and low points. But yet, so many people long to be in one, despite all of the negative aspects. WWE superstar and the latest money in the bank briefcase holder, Dolph Ziggler, simply wanted a relationship that would last. He'd recently broken up with his girlfriend of one month Sarah, and the break up wasn't exactly easy for the Cleveland native.

Sure, one month doesn't seem like a long time to be with someone, and it especially doesn't seem like long enough to cause a guy to get upset over, but he wasn't dealing with it so well. He liked Sarah a lot, he truly did. She was a gorgeous, sweet, smart and funny blonde girl from New York who was also a high school teacher. He'd known her for a few years, and asked her out around a month ago and things were going great. Last night however, they'd had a very long phone call where Sarah explained to him that she was finding it much too hard to have a boyfriend who was constantly flying all over the country and had the strictest schedule she had ever seen.

Now, in all fairness, Dolph expected to hear that from her. It certainly wasn't the first time a girl has broken up with him because of his working hours. In fact, it was just another in a list of short relationships that he had hoped would work out but sadly, none of the girls could handle him being away for around 300 days per year. That may sound as if Dolph was some kind of player who's had multiple relationships, but that was far from the truth. He was just a guy who wanted to be in a relationship with a great girl and make it last. Unfortunately for him, it never worked out the way he wanted it to. You could say that he was unlucky in love.

"My god, Dolph. Are you _still_ pouting about this whole break up with Sarah? As the newly appointed GM of raw, I think I may have to kick your ass into gear my friend."

Dolph raised his head up to look at the woman who was talking to him. It was AJ Lee, or as Dolph preferred to call her, his best friend. They'd been best friends for just over a year now, and the two of them saw each other every single day, and were quite honestly inseparable. It was all a long and complicated story as to how they got close, but it involved Dolph asking AJ on a date, her rejecting him, AJ falling out with former best friend Kaitlyn and then they formed an unlikely friendship. Everyone saw their close bond as a shock considering how different they appeared to be from one another, but the pair actually had quite a few similarities that made their friendship so special. He honestly wasn't sure what he'd do now without her, so for her to come and see him despite having such a busy night with it being her first time as the general manager of raw, it was enough to form a slight smile on Dolph's miserable face.

"I'm not pouting, AJ, I just still feel bad, that's all." He insisted to her.

"You're sat around with a sad face and you're not acting yourself, that's what I call pouting." She walked over to where he was sat and pulled up a chair next to him. "Now, you need to man up dude, otherwise I will literally have to kick your ass."

"In that pant suit?" He chortled.

"Hey, I may look all business in this outfit, but you've seen my glorious abs and biceps, I can take you on."

A laugh emerged from the show off's throat for the first time since last night. AJ did always know how to cheer him up. It was probably one of the things he loved most about her, the way she managed to make him smile or laugh even in his lowest of moments. He appreciated anyone who could make him laugh, but AJ had this amazing quality about her that singled her out from everyone else. That's why he was proud to have her as his best friend.

"Okay AJ, whatevs." He continued to laugh, but then sighed. "I think I'm taking this break up a little harder than I expected to. Me and Sarah were only together for a month, and yet I feel as if we've been together for years and she ripped out my heart. Why is that?"

"I think you know why you're taking this so badly, Dolph." AJ shuffled her chair a little closer to his. "I don't think you're upset about the break up with Sarah, I mean, you were only with her for a month so I can't imagine that you were in love with her or anything like that. What I think is really hurting you is how this is another short relationship over because you put more time and effort into your work than you do into your relationships."

Everything AJ was saying started to swirl around in his mind. It made a lot of sense, he did put all of the time and effort he could into his job, because his aspiration was to be the greatest WWE superstar of all time, and he would stop at nothing to get to that point in his career. He knew that was the main reason behind his failed relationships, but should that mean that he gives up on his dream just to make a relationship work?

"So what are you trying to say AJ? That I should cut back on being one of the hardest workers in sports entertainment just so I can finally be in a long term, committed relationship that I've always wanted?" He asked her, genuinely wanting to know whether she thought that would be the best option.

"Absolutely not!" She raised her voice and shaked her head at the notion of him giving up on his dream. "You've worked so damn hard to get where you are, don't even think about giving it all up to try and make it last with some girl, when it might not even work out anyway."

"Okay then, so what are you trying to tell me April? I'm kinda confused right now as to where you're going with this."

She was slightly stunned at hearing him use her real first name in a sentence instead of just 'AJ'. He hardly ever did that. "What I'm trying to say is, even though I know how hard this is for you, you've got to be patient. Stop settling for girls who you think are great but you know deep down won't be able to cooperate with your busy schedule, and wait for the right girl to come along who is going to be understanding of everything and who makes you truly happy. Spend some time being single for a while, enjoy your job and then settle down when the time is right."

"That's easy for you to say, you've got John."

AJ was currently dating the company's top guy, John Cena. The pair had been dating now for around 5 months, and Dolph wasn't too happy about their relationship, which is why he had such a bitter tone to his voice when he said that last sentence. It wasn't that he hated John or was jealous of him being in a relationship with AJ, because Dolph wasn't the jealous type, but AJ had informed him not so long ago that John didn't really approve of the friendship between her and Dolph. According to AJ, John had made it clear that he didn't like how close that they were and because of that, John didn't like Dolph. Since he'd found that out, Dolph was always slightly bitter about AJ's relationship with him.

"Hey, don't turn this around on my relationship, we're talking about your love life here mister, not mine."

"I'm not trying to turn this around on you AJ, I'm just saying…" He rose up out of his seat and started to walk around the locker room that the two of them were in. "It's easy for you to tell me that I should be single, enjoy my job and wait for the right girl, but how many times have you said that to me before? Is it so bad that I just want to be in a relationship with someone, similar to yours with John, where I'm happy and she actually cares enough about me to stick around?"

AJ glanced at the floor feeling bad for the situation that Dolph was in. He rarely felt sorry for himself, so to see him this way was hard for her. She got up and walked straight over to where he was standing, and without even saying another word, she wrapped her arms around his body in a comforting hug. It was as if there were no words that she could say to make him feel better about everything, but instead she had to show him that she was still his best friend, she cares enough about him to stick around and that he always had her.

Dolph let down his guard and also put his arms around her small frame. This was exactly what he needed to feel better. A hug from someone he truly cared about and who he knew was going to stick by his side whenever he was low. The two of them stayed in this position for a few minutes, not speaking but just embracing each other. It was starting to get a little _too _comforting for Dolph, so he withdrew himself from her warmth, and returned to feeling sorry for himself.

"You're gonna be okay Ziggy, you know that right?" She assured him.

He smiled at her little pet name for him. "Yeah, I'll be fine. It's just tough, you know?"

"I know. But listen, good things come to those who wait, so just take my advice and wait for the right woman to come along, because she will."

Dolph scoffed at her remark. "Yeah, the right woman, sure."

"Ugh, Dolph…" AJ grabbed hold of both of his hands to gain his full attention. "I've gotta go out there soon, so I can't stay to try and drill this into your head for much longer, but just listen to what I have to say next, okay? You know I'm not really the sappy kind of girl who tells you how great you are and how much I love you all of the time, but you are a pretty amazing man. You've got everything that any girl would be crazy to turn down, and those girls that have broken up with you, they're as crazy as I'm perceived to be on TV. You know I love you, and I am 100% confident when I say you're going to be fine."

A boyish grin appeared on the show off's face, and hearing AJ say that to him managed to disperse any kind of sadness he had. She'd never truly understand how much better he'd just made her feel. "You're the best, AJ. Thank you."

"That's what I'm here for, you dork. Now, I've really gotta get out there. The general manager can't be late!" She said as she headed for the door.

"Kick butt out there, boss."

"Don't I always, Ziggy?" She winked at him and then slipped out of the room.

Dolph started to chuckle after she left and sat back down in his seat. It was all starting to dawn on him that he was getting far too depressed over his relationship struggles, when really AJ was right, he should be focusing on other things instead. He had scrambled to get to the position he was at now, and he couldn't let that slip out of his hands. Relationships would have to come in second place to wrestling if none of the women he liked could handle the amount that he worked.

He would wait for someone who understood the amount of hours he worked. Someone who appreciates how WWE means the world to him. Someone who could make him laugh and smile. Someone who simply took his breath away, and got him like no one else. It would happen one day, and as of right now, he hadn't met a girl who fit that bill.

Okay, so maybe that wasn't true. There was a girl who measured up to those requirements perfectly.

AJ.

But, it's not like she would ever be Dolph's girlfriend. AJ was happy with John. Nothing was going to change that… would it? Dolph shook his head from those thoughts. If he even allowed himself to start thinking about AJ as his girlfriend, he wouldn't be able to look at her in the way he usually does.

It was time to get on with the rest of his life and stop pouting. His job was his top priority now.


	2. Chapter 2

**Tuesday 31****st**** July 2012 **

Tuesday afternoon at the smackdown tapings in Indianapolis. Dolph looked like a completely different man in comparison to yesterday. You could even tell in the way he walked that he was far more happier, focused and lively. He would put it all down to AJ's advice, and he was adamant on thanking her for it later.

It was a few hours before the tapings were going to start, so it was the opportune moment for Dolph to go to catering and grab some food. Once he reached the catering section, he quickly scanned the room to see if anyone was here for him to sit down with. The only people in the room were a few of the arena staff members, and of course, out of all the people on the roster, John Cena.

Dolph sighed under his breath. It was always awkward for him to be around Cena, even though it really shouldn't be, especially when John is his best friend's boyfriend. He really wished the two could at least have a decent conversation with one another without him sensing a little bit of hostility from the proclaimed Cenation leader. It shouldn't be that way at all, and Dolph knew AJ would love it if they could be civil towards one another, or at least act liked they both got along, but they didn't, and they probably never would. But, Dolph was in a good mood, so there was no harm in trying to talk to him. It was for AJ's sake if for nothing else.

He strolled over to the buffet table where John was grabbing some food from. "Hey John, you alright man?" Admittedly, Dolph felt a little stupid after saying that sentence to John.

A brief death glare was sent to Dolph and then a smile followed up. He could tell that the smile was 100% fake. "Hey, I'm doing great thanks."

The fact that John didn't ask back how Dolph was doing, which was simply just a nice thing to do whether you cared if someone was doing okay or not, showed exactly how much John didn't like Dolph. Call the show off paranoid about this whole thing if you want, but that's the vibe he got from him. Ziggler decided to drop the conversation and rummage for some food himself. If John wasn't going to be polite and carry on the conversation, then forget him.

John got a plateful of food and then walked away from Dolph without even saying so much as the word 'bye'. This aggravated Dolph to no end. What did he really have against him? Why on earth did he hate him so much? Yes, Dolph was incredibly close to AJ, he was her best friend, but should that really bother John so much? Surely there must be another reason why John so clearly hated Dolph, there's just got to be.

"Hi there Ziggy, are you feeling better today, or do I still have to kick your ass if you're still pouting like a baby?"

There it is. That voice that is able to clear all negative thoughts from Dolph's head and cheer him up. AJ was here. He turned around to see her smirking up at him, and she was also stood next to another person who he considered to be a best friend of his, Zack Ryder. The only thing weird about this situation was despite him being close to both of these people, they didn't actually talk to each other very often. So, it was all a little suspicious to see them both standing here smiling at him.

"No, I'm not still pouting AJ. I was actually going to come tell you that I'm feeling a lot better today thanks to you." He told her, noticing her smile widen with every word he was saying. "So, what are you two doing here together anyways?"

"Okay, so here's the thing-"

"We're throwing you a birthday party this Thursday!" AJ interrupted Zack and finished his sentence due to being so over-excited about this. The young woman was almost jumping up and down with excitement, which was strange seeing how she was the type of girl that you really wouldn't expect to even want to go to a party.

"A birthday party?" Dolph asked with a raised eyebrow. "But… my birthday was last Thursday."

AJ rolled her eyes at his comment. "Do you think we didn't know that? We didn't get the chance to celebrate your birthday last week though, you were in Cleveland with your family. So, we've been talking and we're throwing you a party at Zack's apartment in Long Island this Thursday."

Dolph was extremely hesitant to reply. He honestly didn't want a party thrown for him, especially a week later than the actual date. But, looking at how giddy AJ was about all of this, and also how Zack looked pretty happy to be having the party at his place, he couldn't exactly be a dick and tell them he didn't want it to take place.

"Okay then, I'll uh… I'll make sure I don't have anything else planned for this Thursday." He smiled at them both but then turned his attention to Zack. "You sure you're okay with a party at yours?"

"Of course bro, you know I love parties! It's gonna be awesome." Zack replied.

"Alright, well thanks you two, I really appreciate it."

AJ looked as if she could tell that Dolph was a little unenthusiastic about the party and was about to say something, but then John decided to call out to her, "AJ, come over and sit with me."

She spun around and then darted off to go and sit with her boyfriend after saying bye to both of the boys. Her natural bubbliness was rather amusing to Dolph. He just wished she wasn't so giddy about going over to sit with John. It felt as if he was starting to gain real, pure hatred for John, and he honestly didn't want to. But with the way John acts and how he's said to AJ before that he doesn't approve of their friendship, how could he not have at least a little bit of hatred towards to company's golden boy?

Dolph avoided looking at the couple and tried to make some conversation between himself and Zack. "So, did she put you up to this party, or was it all your idea? I'm going to guess that it's the latter."

"Believe it or not man, it was all her." Zack began to explain. "She came up to me last night and told me all about Sarah, which by the way I'm a little pissed at you for not telling me yourself, but whatever. Anyway, she told me about you being bummed and then said she wanted to do something to cheer you up and she came up with the late birthday party idea."

Dolph was a little shocked to hear that AJ came up with it. He knew AJ better than anyone, and in his wildest dreams he never figured she'd be the one to want to throw a party. "That's a little strange, Zack. I wouldn't have thought it would be her idea. Oh, and about the Sarah thing, sorry buddy. I was going to tell you all about it but the only person I really talked to yesterday was AJ."

"It's alright, I understand. Yeah, she came up with it and I offered to throw the party at my place because you of all people know that my parties rule." Zack smiled brightly.

"I've had some great memories at your parties, I'll give you that." Dolph laughed, "So who's coming to this thing then? I'll laugh in your face if hardly anyone's going to show up."

"Pretty much everyone who you talk to in this place, so there's going to be a lot. I also invited all the people who I know you're close to outside of WWE, and some hot girls too, in case you wanna hook up with any of them." Zack winked at him and nudged him in the side.

Dolph groaned at the thought of hooking up with some random chick who he didn't know. Sure, quite a few years ago this would have been no problem. He'd have loved the thought of getting laid as sort of a birthday present, what guy wouldn't? But he was hell bent on staying single, just like how AJ told him he should. He didn't want a one night stand, he was 32 years old now, not 21. He'd prefer to have a relationship over all of that, but he would wait for that to happen and focus on his work now, not anything else.

"A hook up? Zack, I'm not sure about that buddy. I'll leave the girls for you." He told him.

"But why man? You're single now, you've gotta get back out there."

"I will, I will, but I'm focusing on my job now. I'm not too keen on just hooking up with a girl and that's it, I dunno, it's just not my kind of thing."

Zack started to say something in response to him, but Dolph was distracted by something else to listen to him. Behind Zack's head he could see AJ and John walking out of the catering area hand in hand. Seeing them like that fuelled an unnecessary amount of bitterness inside of him. It wasn't the first time he's seen them act like a couple, of course it wasn't, but something about seeing it right now was different. Maybe it was his realisation that he was starting to genuinely hate Cena, but it felt like he was almost jealous of them being that way. Dolph was **not **the jealous type. Ever. This was a peculiar feeling beyond belief.

"What are you looking at?" Zack questioned, and then turned his head to see where Dolph was looking. "Ah, I get it. You really hate them together don't you?"

Dolph took a few moments to acknowledge that Zack was even speaking to him, but when he realised what he'd just asked him, he shook his head and started to walk off to a table to go eat some food. "I don't know what you're talking about."

"Sure you do." Zack replied as he sat down at the table with Dolph. "You've got a thing for your best friend, I understand. I'm just glad you like her in that way and not me, because that would probably spell the end of our friendship."

"What do you mean 'have a thing'? I don't have a thing for AJ okay?"

"Come on Dolph, don't lie to yourself. You've always liked her. Dare I remind you how you both became best buds in the first place?"

Dolph's mind started to wander back to the night that he asked her out on a date just over a year ago and how she rejected him. It wasn't necessarily that he really liked her or had a huge crush on her or anything, it was more about him getting out of a recent break up at the time and thinking she was attractive and sweet so he asked her out. He always thought that she could sense that he wasn't really interested in her or anything and just wanted to go out on a date, so looking back he was glad she rejected him. And if she didn't, they probably wouldn't be as close as what they were now, which is something Dolph would hate to even think about.

"I remember the story well, I asked her out and she turned me down. Your point is?"

"My point is that I know you've had a thing for her ever since then, and please don't try to deny it. You care about her way more than any of the other girls you've ever dated combined. To be honest with you bro, I think that's why all of your relationships have gone to mush." Zack shrugged at him.

"That's absolutely absurd. My relationships weren't exactly great before I even met AJ, so what you've just said is wrong. Just knock it off Zack, I don't have a thing for her."

"Okay, whatever. But I'm glad you didn't deny that you care about her more than pretty much every girl who you've ever known, because then I'd know for a fact that you're lying to my face."

Dolph was starting to get a little agitated with Zack's persistency. "Of course I care about her more than most girls; she's my damn best friend! That doesn't mean I have feelings for her or anything like that." He spoke defiantly.

"Alright." Zack started to smirk because he knew he'd gotten under Dolph's skin with his badgering. "All I'm saying is, I've seen you two together and to me it feels as if there's something more between you two, not just on your part but hers too. You're closer than anyone I've ever seen and I can tell you detest John just by the way that you look at him."

"I don't dete… Okay maybe I do. But that's only because AJ told me herself that the guy pretty much hates me, so I just don't like him in return, that's all." Dolph insisted, desperately trying to get the notion out of Zack's head that he had feelings for AJ.

"Yeah sure, _that's _the reason why you hate him. Look, I've been head over heels for a girl before and it sucks to see her with another guy who you don't like, you can confide in me if you like."

"Can we please just drop all of this now? You're insane." Dolph shook his head and started playing around with the food on his plate.

"Fine by me. Let's talk about your party this Thursday instead."

Zack started to chatter away to Dolph about some details concerning his birthday party. Every now and again Dolph was nod his head in agreement or act like he was paying a little bit of attention, but he truly wasn't. The point Zack made about him feeling like there was always something more between him and AJ was buzzing around his head and he literally couldn't focus on anything else right now. It was starting to scare him.

Were him and AJ _way _too close to each other as friends? Probably. But he always appreciated that about their friendship, it wasn't like anything else in the world. They were there for each other through thick and thin, and even AJ said so herself that she thought it was amazing that their unique friendship was unparalleled to anybody else's. But for Zack, his other best friend who knew him almost more than nearly anybody else, to say that he thought there was something more there was alarming. Does Dolph have feelings for her?

If he did, the hatred for Cena would make sense. But the reasoning behind it could also be that he was a concerned best friend who wasn't too keen on his best friend's boyfriend, and that's all.

All of this was confusing the hell out of Dolph, so he did what he does best in situations like this.

He went to go and work out to drive the thoughts away.


	3. Chapter 3

**Thursday 2****nd**** August 2012 **

_"Hey Dolph, it's AJ. I'm not sure why you're not picking up your phone right now, but I'm just calling to let you know that you have to be at Zack's apartment by 7:30 tonight, okay? I'll see you later on then, Ziggy."_

He was doing this for her. He'd spent the past few days trying to convince himself that the party was going to be great, that he'd have a good time, have a laugh and some fun with his friends, but who was he kidding? He was only attending his 'birthday' party for AJ so it would make her happy after going through so much trouble planning it all with Zack.

He just didn't want a party, that was all. Dolph knew how all of Zack's parties turned out, they would end up being sophomoric, loud and full of drunken messes. He felt like he was too old to have those kind of parties take place because of his birthday, and in all honesty he would much prefer to hit them gym and focus on how to get better in the ring, if that was even possible because he was pretty darn exceptional in the ring already. Also, Dolph wasn't an idiot, he knew that Zack had only agreed to this because he was single and wanted to have an excuse to get laid. He may be one of Dolph's closest friends, but when it came to women, Zack had to take any opportunity that he could get. He wasn't the biggest catch in the world.

But anyway, he was cruising down the street on his way to Zack's house despite all of that, just for her. The things Zack was saying to Dolph the other day about there being something more between himself and AJ were still playing on his mind. He'd done everything he could to avoid even thinking about it, but the thought that maybe deep down he was harbouring some feelings for AJ, it wouldn't disappear. Dolph couldn't deny that there was obviously a love between them, but he'd always thought it was the kind of love you would generally feel for your friend, he'd never even contemplated it being more serious than that, but ever since Zack brought it up, he knew it could possibly mean _much_ more than that.

Dolph parked up a few blocks away from where Zack's apartment was. He couldn't get any closer to the building if he tried, there were so many cars here. It's probably his own fault for arriving 45 minutes later than when AJ had told him to get here. She was surely gonna be pissed off.

He slowly made his way to where the party was at, and even from outside he could tell that the party was exactly what he had expected. Loud, blaring music was heard from all across the street, and Dolph was able to get a slight glimpse into the apartment because it was only a few floors up, and he could already tell that a few people were wasted with the way they were dancing to the music. This night was going to be eventful to say the least, and that might not be a good thing.

The Cleveland native reluctantly walked straight into Zack's apartment. He saw all of his co-workers and friends as soon as he got through the door, and before he could register in his mind who each person was, they all came flocking around him to say happy birthday. It was a little overwhelming that they were all so pleased to see him here, and actually, it all seemed a little fake. Today wasn't his birthday, his birthday was a week ago. Today's party was an honest attempt for AJ to give him some sort of present, bless her heart, and it was also for Zack to pick up chicks. Nothing more.

He said hi to everyone, made sure people weren't getting too drunk and tried to make his way through the swarm of people in the apartment. It was crazy how many people were actually here for this party, and how much alcohol was sitting on the kitchen counters. It took a good ten minutes for Dolph to make his way over to Zack to tell him he was finally here. And surprise surprise, Zack was drunk.

"Hey bro, you finally made it!" Zack flung his arms around Dolph for what he liked to call a 'broski hug', and almost fell over in the process. "Aren't you like two hours late man? Where've you been?"

"I'm not that late Zack, but jesus, how drunk are you right now?"

"I dunno what you're talking about!" Zack had to shout his words because the music was so loud. Dolph totally wasn't buying Zack's words acting as if he wasn't drunk right now, he could smell the strong stench of alcohol on his breath, and he wasn't even that close to him anymore seeing as Zack had just taken his arms from around him.

"Yeah, okay then buddy. Hey, have you seen AJ? I can see everyone else but her right now."

Zack took a quick scan around the room to look for her. She was so small, she probably got lost in the crowd right now. After a little while, Zack pointed to something behind Dolph's head. "She's right over there. By the way dude, she looks smokin' hot tonight."

Dolph peered over his shoulder to see where she was. Sure enough, after a few people had moved out of the way so he could finally see her, there she was. She was simply breath-taking. AJ was wearing a small black dress that accentuated her curves beautifully, and strangely enough, she was wearing black pumps instead of her trademark Chuck Taylor's. Her hair was wavy without a single strand out of place, and he could tell from a distance she was wearing more makeup than usual, but it wasn't too overdone. She was stunning, and in his opinion, by far the most beautiful woman in the room tonight, and there were a lot of women here.

He called out her name to try and get her attention, but the music was so nearly deafening that she couldn't hear him. She probably hadn't even noticed that he'd arrived already. She finally managed to lock eyes with him after Dolph was waving his arms around in the air like a lunatic to gain her attention. He may be a little _too_ eager to talk to her right now.

She pushed through the crowd of people to make her way over to him and as soon as she got close she pulled him into a friendly embrace. It felt good for Dolph to have her in his arms, even if it was just for the fact she was one of the few people here that wasn't drinking alcohol because she never touched a drop.

AJ withdrew her arms from around him and then playfully hit him on the chest. "Why the hell are you so late? Didn't you get my message telling you to be here for half 7?"

"Of course I did, someone had to be fashionably late."

"But this party is for you, jerk, you're supposed to be here on time!"

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I'll make it up to you somehow." He said to her with a suggestive grin on his face.

He was enjoying having some banter with her, but unfortunately for him, that couldn't last. John Cena had strolled over to the two of them and he snuck his arms around AJ's waist. The sight of him here, at a party especially thrown for him didn't sit well with Dolph. Cena didn't like him at all, why the hell would he want to be here for this? It was probably so he could keep an eye on AJ or make sure that Dolph's reminded that he was still her boyfriend. How pathetic of him.

"Babe, let me go properly introduce you to my friend Mike over there, he wants to meet you." John directly said to AJ, blanking Dolph while doing it.

"Okay, sure babe. I'll come back and talk to you later, Dolph." She smiled up at him before turning to leave.

"Oh yeah, happy birthday man." Cena said to Dolph, finally acknowledging what this whole thing was for. Even when Dolph couldn't really hear him that well because of the music, he knew that his tone of voice was incredibly dull while saying that as if he couldn't care less about it being his birthday. It was unreal how much Dolph had come to hate this man now, but in all fairness, it wasn't as if the hate was uncalled for. He'd tried so hard to like the man for AJ's sake, but it was never going to work out.

As long as Cena was hovering around his best friend, this party was going to suck.

* * *

The beach had always been a good place for Dolph to relax and clear his head. The sound of the waves crashing was calming for him, and it was the perfect getaway from the party that was still going on now at almost midnight.

It hadn't turned out quite as bad as Dolph had originally expected. It was great seeing so many of his friends in one place and managing to talk and dance with them all. He'd actually had quite a laugh, but there was only so much he could take now. It may sound as if he was an old man in saying this, but he just wanted to go home and crawl into bed. This was the sort of party he would have enjoyed quite a few years ago, not now. He just wanted to focus on his career.

"Hey, you!" A familiar voice came from behind him. "Here you are, I've hardly seen you all night!"

AJ padded her way over to Dolph and took a seat next to him on the soft sand. His mood had elevated just at the sight of her, and he'd almost forgot how good she looked tonight after not being able to talk to her for a few hours because she was chatting away with Cena and his friend.

"Yeah, I know. Uh, thanks for deciding to throw a party for me with Zack, AJ. It's been great and you really didn't have to go to that much trouble."

"Nonsense, of course I did! I wanted you to have a good time seeing as you weren't here to have the party on your actual birthday. I'm just glad that you've enjoyed it." She told him, smiling brightly with every word that crossed her lips. He loved seeing her this happy.

"Thanks again, I really didn't expect it. I know you're not exactly the partying kind of girl and it got pretty hectic tonight."

"Come on Dolph, you know I'm the chick that everybody wants to party with. In my spare time I like to read comic books and play video games. Total party animal right here." She joked.

"Sure." Dolph laughed and then started to pick up handfuls of sand and let it flow through his fingers. Being around her right now, for whatever reason was starting to make him feel a little nervous. Maybe it was Zack's words that were starting to leave an effect on him, or just the way she looked tonight. He couldn't quite put his finger on it. "Seriously though, thank you, it was the perfect birthday present."

"Hold on, you _really _thought that was your birthday present?" AJ giggled and then pulled something out that she'd been hiding behind her back. "Happy birthday, Ziggy."

Dolph took a black velvet box from her hand hesitantly, not quite believing she'd bought him something as well as having this party. He opened it up and in the box was a beautiful watch that looked as if it had cost a fortune. Dolph was at a loss for words and it took him quite a while to say anything. "Jesus, AJ… I love it! Damn, this looks seriously expensive. I thought I said no presents though?"

"Did you really think I was going to not give you a present?" She smiled at him, evidently proud that he loved her gift. "In the past year you've become such a huge part of my life, and I wanted to get you a gift to show just how much. Besides, I know you've been wanting a watch for a while now, so this might shut you up about it."

Dolph quickly wrapped his arms around her. He absolutely hated how he had barely been able to talk to her all day, so to share this moment with her now and have this token of how much their friendship was worth, it meant a lot to him. After a little while, she withdrew from his embrace and then much to his surprise, planted a kiss on his cheek.

Dolph didn't like the fact that there were butterflies in his stomach from one simple kiss.

"I should probably be getting back inside, John's leaving soon so I need to go say bye to him." She said.

She brought John up. Talk about a mood killer. "Right. _John_."

His disdain for Cena was unmistakeable in his last words, and it was not lost on AJ. She instantly noticed it. "What's with that tone of voice?"

"Nothing… it's just…" Dolph cursed under his breath. He couldn't put on a positive front about the John situation any longer. He had to be honest about his feelings towards him. "He clearly hates me, and quite frankly, I'm not too keen on him either. In fact no, I'll be brutally honest with you here AJ, I hate him too. I'm wondering why the hell he turned up at a party that was thrown for me."

AJ stared at him for a little while, obviously shocked that he'd just said that he hates her boyfriend. "Don't be silly, he doesn't hate you. He just finds our friendship a little weird because we're so close, but then again, doesn't everyone?" It didn't go unnoticed by him that she chose to skip over and ignore how he had said that he hates John. She always seemed to do that, ignore the things that she didn't want to hear.

"Believe me, I know he finds our friendship weird, but that's not just it. You don't see the dirty looks he sends me, or how he will go to any length to not talk to me or be a complete prick when you're around. I'm sorry AJ, but I just _hate _the guy."

She shook her head and then looked away from him. "I think you're overreacting. Look, John's a sweetheart, and he knows how much you mean to me so I doubt that he'd be that way with you."

"Sure, go ahead and don't believe what I'm telling you. I'm just overreacting. You know, this is exactly why we never talk about John."

"Excuse me?"

Dolph looked AJ straight in the eyes, and guilt started to build up within him. He could see in the dim light from afar that her brown orbs were watery and that him saying all of this was affecting her. He hated to be the one to cause her pain, he was usually the one to pick her up whenever she was sad. "Doesn't matter." Dolph bowed his head down because he couldn't stand seeing that sad look from her. "You should probably get back inside. John wouldn't approve of you spending so much time with me out here."

AJ shook her head with disapproval and got up to leave him. She took a few steps but then turned back. She had one final thing to say before she went back inside. "Listen, I planned this party out with Zack because I care about you and wanted you to have a good time. Don't you _dare_ throw it back in my face by hurting me like that. That's such a douchebag move Dolph, and I expected better from my best friend. Or at least, that's what I thought you were."

He watched her storm off back to Zack's apartment and he'd never felt like more of a dick in his entire life. She'd thoroughly planned this out with Zack and also bought him a gorgeous watch, and what did he do in return? Talk shit about her boyfriend. '_Great move, Dolph. Nice job._' He thought to himself.

But, on the other hand, wasn't he doing the right thing by being honest with how he felt about John? He could lie to her and forever act like he loved the guy, but that wasn't him. He couldn't lie to someone he cared about more than anything in the world. Really, that was him actually being a good best friend.

All he knew was that he felt like an idiot, he hated John, and he'd hurt AJ.

Oh, and he also knew that Zack was right. AJ did look smokin' hot tonight.


	4. Chapter 4

**The AJ and Dolph break up made me so sad so I'm really aiming to get more chapters done, but my computer isn't working very good right now so I hope you can all bear with me. Thanks to the people who've reviewed and been sweet about the story, I always love reading your comments. Anyway, hope you enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

**Friday 3****rd**** August **

"Do you remember the name of that chick who I hooked up with last night? Was it Molly or Mandy?"

Dolph paced around the room listening to Zack flitter away trying to remember the events that had taken place the previous night. He'd 'apparently' hooked up with a really good looking woman, but unfortunately didn't even remember her name. Dolph could never be too sure as to whether Zack was talking a load of crap about getting laid, but he was adamant that he did. It's funny how he definitely remembers that part, but is having trouble remembering pretty much everything else.

"I don't know Zack, a lot of the girls that were there I didn't even know or go talk to."

"Oh man, you _should_ have talked to some of those chicks that I invited though, they were some of the hottest ladies on the LI." He was practically salivating at the thought of these girls, which disgusted Dolph a little bit. "So why didn't you go talk to any of them last night?"

Dolph shrugged his shoulders. "Just wasn't interested."

Zack looked up at him and then shook his head. Dolph caught a slight scoff from Zack. What the heck was his problem? If he wasn't interested in hooking up random chicks like boozy over here, that was his decision. "What's with the scoff Ryder, and why are you looking at me like that?"

"Because…" Zack leaned back on his chair, pausing with his words to shake his head at Dolph some more. "I invited them for you man, you're single and you need to get back out there. Or would you really rather waste your time chasing after Sarah still, or AJ seeing as I know you've got some feelings for her."

"Stop it with the AJ stuff Zack, it's getting really old."

"It's the truth."

"No it isn't."

"Yes it is, and you know it." Zack got up from his seat and wandered over to where Dolph was. His entire demeanour had changed and he was completely serious right now. It wasn't usually a good sign when Zack got serious. "I know I got a bit wasted last night, but I do remember some stuff. For example, I remember you arriving at the party and the first person you cared about seeing was AJ. I also remember how during the night you looked pissed as all hell that she was stuck by Cena's side all the time. And, to top it all off, AJ went out to go see you because you'd gone off somewhere, and she came back in the worst mood I've ever seen her in."

Dolph paused for a little while before replying. It still pained him a little to know that he'd put AJ in a bad mood after being such a jackass about John. "She was in a bad mood?"

"Yeah, I don't know what you said to get her all fired up, but she looked pissed. What happened?"

He started to pace the room again, in part because he was trying to shake away the guilt of hurting his best friend. "I uh, said some things about John. I told her that I hate him, and she didn't take it too well, obviously."

"You really told her that?"

"Uh, well… yeah." Dolph scratched the back of his neck nervously when saying that.

"The plot thickens." Zack showed off his pearly white teeth with a satisfied grin. Dolph knew how smug Zack must feel right now when a lot of the things he'd previously said regarding Dolph, AJ and John were sort of true.

"Shut up, asshole."

Ziggler was about to get changed for his match that he had later for this live event when he heard a name being called out in the corridor. A name that matched a certain 5"2 brunette woman who he so desperately needed to apologise to. He dashed out of the locker room, not caring whether Zack was watching him or wondering what he was going to say about him going after AJ. All he was focused on was making things right between him and her.

Once out of the room, he turned his head left and right to see her, and right at the end of the long corridor, he spotted her. The figure in the distance was wearing knee high converse, so it was evident that it was her. No other woman cared to rock that kind of footwear.

"AJ, wait up!" He yelled out, now running over to get to her.

AJ didn't even look back, but he noticed that she picked up her pace and speed walked around the corner. She was avoiding him. She had heard him call out her name, and still, she didn't want to talk to him. Damn, his comment about John must have really hit a nerve.

Dolph continued to sprint down the hallway, almost knocking one of the employees at the arena because he was running so fast. That was a quality that everyone knew Dolph had in him though, determination. He was so determined to talk to AJ, and settle everything, and he didn't care about knocking people over in the process of doing it.

He finally caught up with her and ran in front of her petite frame to block her from walking past him. "AJ, please talk to me." He panted.

She rolled her eyes at him and was about to turn and walk in the opposite direction, but Dolph stopped that from happening by reaching out and gently grabbing onto her arm.

"Okay, so you don't want to talk to me, that's fine. But I have some apologies to make, so I'm so unbelievably sorry for saying that last night about John, and I'm even more sorry for the fact that it hurt you."

AJ refused to look up at him and she tried looking at every other object available. He wasn't even sure if she was paying one ounce of attention to what he was saying.

"A few words from you right now would be great though." He nervously laughed, hopeful that she would actually interact with him at some point.

"Why should I, Dolph?" She finally locked her eyes onto his. "I don't think you really understand how much it hurts me to know that you hate John."

"I know, I probably don't, but here I am saying sorry to you for it because honestly AJ, I feel so damn guilty about saying that."

"It's not that you said it to me, because I'd rather you be open about it than lie to me, it's just…" She sighed and briefly allowed her eyes to look down to the floor. "It's just that you hate him. You know that you and John are two of the most important guys in my life, and you both don't get along, and it really puts me in a bad position."

"Why does it put you in a bad position?"

"Why do you think?" AJ was currently holding some of her bags that she'd brought into the arena, so she threw them off to the side. "I know it probably sounds weird to you, but I kinda hoped that maybe we could all go out together, you know? I like the idea of spending time with you and John at the same time, not on different days or trying to balance the little free time that I have with the both of you. And, well, when you said that you hated him, I could _really _tell that you meant it, and it just hit me that we're never going to hang out together."

Dolph took a step closer towards her, not even thinking about it but more of an initial reaction to do so when he saw her looking sad. He wanted to just hold her and take away any last remnant of her sadness, because he so loved seeing her looking like the happiest girl in the world. He placed his hands on her shoulders, mainly just to see what she'd do if he tried to get so close to her right now. At first, AJ steeled herself, but she broke her guard and slumped down, not caring if he wanted to comfort her, despite being slightly angry with him.

"We can all hang out together if you want to." He consoled her, staring deep into her eyes.

"No we can't, you two don't like each other. I'm sure it'd be pretty awkward if we all just went out."

"It might be awkward, but I'd do it for you."

"Why?"

He chuckled a little and then started to rub his hands up and down her arms. "Because you're my best friend, dumbass. Look, me and John don't like each other, but if he's willing to try and get along with me like I will for your sake, we can make it work."

Her brown eyes glimmered brightly up into his. He couldn't work out whether he loved or hated how just the way she looked at him could control his entire mood. It wasn't right how someone so small had him in the palm of her hands, but in some weird and wonderful way, he wouldn't change it for the world. This woman was his best friend, and putting all of Zack's remarks about him having feelings for her aside, he knew at the very least he loved her so much as his friend, and he **never **wanted that to go away.

"So you'd pretend that you can get along with him just for me then?"

"No, I'll try to legitimately get along with him just for you, not put on an act. Just so you know though, it's not only me that has the problem here, you even said so yourself that he doesn't like our friendship or how close we are, so he's gotta be willing to get along with me and not just say a few words and then avoid me, okay?"

She allowed a little smile to grace her lips and then nodded. "I'll talk to him."

"Okay then." He smiled back at her and then bended his knees slightly to be on the same eye level as her. "Does this mean we're okay now, or do you still hate me?" He asked at her, pulling a cute face to try and get a positive reply from her. It seemed to work with how her smile was widening on her face. His goofy faces that he pulled always managed to produce a happier AJ.

"We're okay, you jerk. I guess I can't stay mad at you for too long. I'm sorry if I overreacted about it."

"You didn't, you were perfectly right to get mad with me. I'm just glad we're okay now."

Dolph picked up her bags for her with one hand and then slug his free arm around her shoulders and pulled her closely into his side. They continued to walk down the corridor like this, regardless of some of the looks they got from people around. They all knew how close they were.

She still had that picture perfect smile on her face, and Dolph really just felt lucky that they were okay again. The two of them hardly ever had any fights, and when they did the fights weren't really serious anyway. He wasn't quite certain how he'd handle having a full on blow out with her.

The pair walked so tightly together all the way to the divas locker room where he separated from her and gave back her rather heavy bags.

"Thanks for carrying these, oh, and good luck in your match tonight." She beamed up at him and patted him on the arm for good luck.

"No problem, and thanks AJ." He turned to walk away and let her get settled into the locker room, but still there was a nagging feeling within him that said he needed to do something more to make it up to her.

"Hey, AJ?" He said, just catching her attention before she walked through the door.

"Yeah?"

"I uh… can't help but still feel a little bad about everything, and with how you mentioned that we don't really get a lot of free time and you have to balance it between people, how about we do something tomorrow before the live event?" He asked her.

"Sure, but what do you have in mind?"

"Well, we're in Albany tomorrow, so why don't we go to that café that we went to when we first started hanging out? It'll be good to catch up and act like we used to, because we haven't really spent much time alone just hanging out as friends for a while."

She started smiling upon remembering the little café where she first really got to know Dolph. It was such a cute little place that served the best muffins she'd ever tasted. Both Dolph and AJ had always said that they'd go back to that café even if it was just to have some more of those muffins, but they never ended up doing so. It was little moments like those that weren't necessarily monumental in their friendship, but still made her smile when looking back on.

"I think that's a pretty good idea, Dolph. We should go around lunch time, and with any luck they'll have some of those gorgeous blueberry muffins to eat." She said, licking her lips in a joking manner.

He laughed at her over-the-top gesture. "Alrighty, sounds like a plan Miss Lee. I'll come pick you up from whichever hotel you're staying at tomorrow at around noon then."

"Okay, oh, and Dolph? I really do miss hanging out with you the way we used to. We should do it more often, not just for tomorrow."

"Yeah, I agree."


	5. Chapter 5

**Saturday 4****th**** August **

"Where the heck are we?"

"We're close I promise, look, doesn't that shop over there look familiar? I swear we walked past that the last time we were here."

"You better not be lying to me Ziggler, or I swear I will beat your ass so hard you won't be able to compete at the live event tonight."

He loved how he and AJ spoke to each other. Dolph knew so many people that he got along with well and could have some laughs with them, but none were really like AJ. He couldn't really describe it, but it was as if they just got each other, like they were two complete polar opposites but they worked in ways unexpected. It was as if they were a ying and a yang. They complement each other, and no matter how different they were when it came to some things, they were so alike in other ways and it was the best type of friendship to have.

Today was going just as planned for the two of them, he had picked her up from her hotel a little earlier than expected because he always did that, and they had set off to find the café that they went to a year ago. AJ was sure they were lost and didn't have a clue where they were going, but Dolph knew exactly where they were and kind of loved seeing her get so worked up about being lost.

"See? Here we are, it hasn't changed a bit." Dolph told her as they came up outside of the café.

"Okay, okay, so we're not lost. Let's just go get a seat." She replied.

Dolph and AJ sat down at a table outside of the café because it was such a bright and sunny day here in Albany, so why not enjoy it? They ordered their meals, glasses of water and the muffins that were so out of this world that it would be a crime not to get one. It was nice for the two of them to just hang out as two friends again and get some lunch. It had been quite a few months at least since that's happened, and Dolph wouldn't pin all of that on the fact that AJ was now with John, but because their personal lives have been a little full lately, it was definitely one of the main reasons.

"So, here we are after all this time," AJ smiled up at him, "I feel like we haven't really spoken much about what's going on in your life since the day after you broke up with Sarah. How have you been coping with that?"

It never failed to amuse him how she would just jump right in to serious discussion. There was no beating around the bush with this girl. "I've been okay you know, break ups happen. I should have known that it wouldn't work out with Sarah anyway, so it's not been too hard on me because of that. I think if we were together a little longer than a month I'd be a bit more upset about it all."

"Sure. Well, I didn't want to say this while you guys were together, but I knew from the moment you started dating her that you wouldn't work out."

He raised his eyebrows, a little confused by her revelation. "What do you mean by that?"

"I didn't say anything at the time, because it really wasn't my place to get involved in your relationship and you did seem happy." AJ paused for a moment, reading his perplexed expression. "It's just that realistically, I just knew it wouldn't work out. You're a WWE superstar who is constantly on the road, and she's a teacher who loves her job just as much as you do and is busy doing her thing. I've always said to you that if you're going to be with someone, you need to find someone who appreciates the time you spend away and can fit in a relationship within that time, and I could tell that she wouldn't do that."

"You could have said something about it AJ, it would have been nice to get my best friend's opinion on it instead of me getting into another dead end relationship."

"Hey, what kind of friend would I be if I acted like a total bitch about your relationship?"

Dolph was about to reply, but he was a little staggered by her response. It felt almost as if it was a sly dig at him for being critical of her boyfriend. Here comes the feeling of guilt again. "You mean kinda like how I was such a dick when I said that I hated your boyfriend?"

AJ looked innocently at him, only just realising that she'd made him feel bad by her comment. She stretched her arm out and placed her hands over his in a comforting way. "I didn't mean it like that, I was just saying that I'd feel wrong if I got involved in your relationships. And come on, the whole you saying you hate John thing is in the past now, stop feeling bad about it, it's okay."

Dolph half smiled at her saying that everything was okay, and there it was again, the simplest gesture from AJ being able to change his entire mood from guilty to happy. How did she do that?

The waiter came over with their orders and broke the two's practically hand holding moment. They dug into their food, both of them starving due to not having any breakfast, and for a few minutes there was no conversing between them. It really said a lot about how close they were because the silence wasn't even awkward. Nevertheless, AJ had to find out some information from Dolph.

"So anyway, I know I said the John hate thing is in the past, but I have to ask this because it's really been bugging me. Um, why exactly do you hate him?"

He hesitated to answer her. The thought that maybe if he said some bad things about the way he felt about John, it would lead to an argument. Although, she's the one who's asking to know the details, she shouldn't be allowed to get mad.

"It's hard to explain really, because I'm not too sure why I don't like the guy myself." He started to tell her. "I guess just knowing he doesn't like our friendship and the way he acts around me sometimes really bugs me."

AJ tilted her head to the side, a little unsure of what he meant. "What do you mean by the way he acts around you?"

"He's just… off with me, you know? Take the other day for example, we were in catering and I went over to go talk to him, largely because I want to try and have a good chat with him because he's your boyfriend, and he gave me _such_ a dirty look and barely uttered a few words. It was just the vibe I got from the man, he just doesn't like me and I guess I feel the same way about him."

She nodded at him showing she understood, but he could tell she still didn't like knowing that they didn't like each other. It had to really suck for her knowing that her boyfriend and best friend didn't get along. He really wished that it wasn't this way so it would be better for her.

"Look, AJ…" Dolph spoke softly. "I know that John and I don't exactly see eye to eye, but like I said yesterday, I'm willing to try and sort things out with him for you. I'll talk to him and put our differences aside. If he cares about you as much as you have said he does, I'm sure he'll be more than open to try and like me."

She sent him a look that said she was happy that he'd try and get along with John, and he knew that he'd managed to cheer her up a little. Mission accomplished. "Thanks Dolph. Once you get to know him, you'll know that he really is a sweet man and I have no doubt that you'll get along if you're both willing. Just know that it means a lot to me that you want to do this." She said sweetly, ending her sentence with a sincere smile that made Dolph more than happy to see.

"It's no problem, really. You know I'd do anything for you."

AJ went back to eating the salad that she'd ordered and Dolph felt compelled to change to topic of conversation that didn't include ex-girlfriend's or current boyfriend's.

"So you never told me, did you enjoy the party that you and Zack threw for me?"

"Oh yeah absolutely, it was a lot of fun."

He stopped eating his food and just glared at her for a little while. "Don't lie to me April, I know it wasn't that much fun for you."

She looked up at him and acted bewildered. "What on earth do you mean?" She said sarcastically.

"Please, a party with a bunch of drunks when you don't drink and music so loud it nearly burst your eardrums, it wasn't your thing at all." He laughed.

"Maybe I was a little out of place there, but at least everyone had a good time. Besides, I spent most of the night with John so I was perfectly okay."

The attempt at avoiding talking about relationships suddenly backfired as his name was mentioned again. Dolph was trying hard to remember a time when they didn't talk about relationships and just spoke about other things. But seeing as Cena's name doesn't seem to leave their conversation, he might as well find out what the WWE's top star was up to right now. "Speaking of John, where's he at right now? He must be doing something else for you to come out here with me."

"You know what John's like, he's a very busy guy." She said while playing around with the last remnants of food on her plate. "He didn't really say much about what he's doing other than something for work. I didn't bother to ask."

"Does he know you're out with me today?" He asked.

"Yeah, he knows. I know he doesn't really dig our friendship, but he doesn't mind me spending time with you. He's pretty understanding."

"Alright, I was just wondering. Don't want to be on the wrong side of him for taking you out to lunch."

AJ was about to reply until she clicked on her phone and noticed that she'd gotten a few missed calls and a voice message. It was from work which usually meant that it was important. She proceeded to listen to the recording.

"Oh gosh, I've gotta go. I'm sorry, but I've got to go to a meeting to discuss some things that are going to take place on raw regarding my general manager position."

"That's fine, it's work so I understand. Do you need me to give you a lift to the arena or something?" He asked.

"No, it's alright, I'll take a cab. I already feel bad for ditching you like this, so I want you to stay and finish your meal. I'll see you later on at the arena, okay?" She stood up and asked him.

"Yeah, I'll see you later then." He got up and quickly hugged her goodbye. She made sure to kiss him on his cheek before smiling and walking away. It was really starting to get weird how he got butterflies in his stomach just by a simple kiss to the cheek. She always did that when saying bye to him, why were the butterflies suddenly here now?

Dolph sat back down, a little bummed out because his catch up time with AJ had been cut short. It wasn't like it was her fault or he could really get sad about it, work always managed to interfere with plans, that was what every WWE superstar or diva signed up for. It was just business, and he was going to see her again later, so really there was no reason for him to get bummed out at all. But he was and he couldn't help it.

Dolph had finished his food and drink, and just as he was about to get up and pay the bill, a couple of people walking with each other on the opposite side of the road caught his attention. Of all the people in the world that he had expected to see out together, these two would probably come up last on his list.

John Cena and Nikki Bella. Laughing together. Walking together. At the same time when John was supposed to be doing something for work. Something was **not **right.

The money in the bank holder gawped at them, refusing to tear his eyes away from the confusing sight. He didn't even know the two of them talked, never mind walked down a random street laughing and joking with one another. There was a feeling deep down in the pit of his stomach that something suspicious was going on. This was AJ's boyfriend and Nikki Bella, a woman who happened to be Dolph's ex-girlfriend from a few years ago. Could they be… no, _surely not._

Dolph tried not to jump to conclusions. After all, he'd just had dinner with John's girlfriend, why couldn't John hang out with Nikki? The only difference was, Dolph was AJ's best friend, it's perfectly normal for them to spend time together. John and Nikki weren't best friends at all.

Why the hell are they together right now?


	6. Chapter 6

**Sunday 5****th**** August**

He promised himself he wouldn't jump to conclusions. He had no right to jump to conclusions. He knew it was completely and utterly stupid to jump to conclusions. But…

He jumped to conclusions.

It's not like Dolph could help it, because he honestly fought against assuming things with every fibre of his being. But he knew what he saw. He saw two people who were extremely overly friendly and it didn't sit right with him. If it was anybody else he had seen together like the way they were yesterday, Dolph would have just shrugged it off and thought that the pair could have possibly been an item and he would have left it at that. But they weren't just any two people. It was John Cena and Nikki Bella. An odd mix considering Nikki is his ex-girlfriend and John is AJ's current boyfriend. It was just plain weird.

Sure, Dolph could just have his suspicions and keep it to himself to avoid any drama arising, but really, how could he do that? AJ was his best friend, someone he cared about more than most people. If there was a chance of anything going on between Cena and one half of the Bella twins, he wasn't going to simply sweep it under the rug. He couldn't risk AJ ending up being hurt and then feeling guilty as hell for not doing anything about it.

Dolph would have to find out what was going on, or at the very least, voice his concerns.

It was almost 7pm which meant the live event in Dotham, Alabama was about to start. Dolph had taken this as a perfect opportunity to have a little one on one chat with Cena. He was the ultimate main eventer in this business, so of course he wouldn't be going on until last anyway, but Dolph knew from years of being in the same company as him that he'd probably be alone in his little private locker room getting ready for his match at around this time. Now was the time to see what was really going on.

Dolph braced himself just outside of Cena's door and then knocked a couple of times before looking around to see if anyone was about. He didn't really want people walking in on this talk that was about to take place. For all he knew, John could take offence and everything could turn ugly. Hopefully, mainly for AJ's sake, that wouldn't happen.

"The door's open, come on in." was heard on the other side of the wall and Dolph made his way into the room. He took a quick scan of the rather large space that was only occupied by one man and then fixed his attention on John. The ten-time champion didn't look too pleased to see Dolph here when he first saw him, but he didn't really expect much different from him. It was obvious that these two hated each other.

"Hey Dolph, what's up?" Cena asked in a rather pleasant manner, much to Dolph's confusion.

"I'm just in here because I've got a few things I need to say and I feel like now is the best time for me to say them."

"Go ahead, be my guest."

Dolph gently shut the door behind him before continuing to speak. "Okay, so the first thing I wanted to say to you is that I know full well that you don't like me, and to be honest, I'm not your biggest fan either."

At first John looked a little shocked at his bluntness, but then his trademark John Cena smile made an appearance, almost as if he's been waiting for this to come up between the two men. "I guess I appreciate your honesty there, Dolph." He chuckled.

"There's no point in denying it, we're polar opposites and don't like each other. But, the reason for why I'm bringing that up right now is because I want that to change. For AJ, if it's for nothing else."

John paused for a while, thinking about what Dolph had just said to him. Instead of replying to him straight away, John decided to put on his kneepads and signature baseball cap. Ziggler did not appreciate him avoiding the subject at all.

"I suppose that's fair. You're her best friend and I'm her boyfriend, it's better for everyone if we get along with each other." John finally spoke up.

"So you agree with me then, we should try and get to know each other better and avoid AJ feeling like she's stuck in the middle of both of us?"

"It's not fair on her, so yes, I agree that it's a good idea."

Dolph made a small sigh of relief to know that he was on board. The only problem was, he might take it all back once Dolph brings up the topic of Nikki Bella. He could take the high road and just avoid that conversation altogether, but this was Dolph Ziggler, there was no way he wasn't going to bring this up and find out what was going on.

"I'm glad to hear that John," he said. "But there's one final thing I need to talk to you about."

John looked up from where he was sat at Dolph. By Dolph's rather nervous sounding tone in his voice, he knew that whatever Dolph was about to say wouldn't be good. "What is it, and I don't mean to be a jerk about this, but I've got a photo shoot that I have to go to in about ten minutes, so please, make it quick."

It doesn't matter whether John said he didn't want to sound like a jerk or not, he came off as one. But maybe that's just because of Dolph's hatred of the man. Anything he does really ticks him off.

"Yesterday I was out eating some lunch and…I saw you and Nikki together. Now, I don't want to be assuming the worst here, but I can't help but wonder why you guys were together yesterday."

John started to laugh again and he shook his head. "You don't _want _to assume the worst, but that's why you're really in here, right? You think that something's going on between me and Nikki Bella."

"I just didn't know that you two even talked and it-"

"And you think I'm screwing her behind AJ's back, right?"

John had now risen up out of his seat getting increasingly mad by the second at Dolph for insinuating that he thought something was going on between the two of them. This was leading to something that Dolph had hoped that it wouldn't, but he couldn't leave it alone. He was just a curious best friend who wanted to make sure AJ wasn't being cheated on, that was all, and did that make him a bad guy? No. It made him an ordinary human being, and a good hearted human being at that.

"I don't want to get into an argument or anything with you about this okay, but I just didn't know you guys talked and then seeing you two together yesterday looking so close with each other, can you blame me for wanting to know what the hell is going on?" Dolph stood his ground by raising his voice, but still hoped that this wouldn't lead to a full blown argument.

John backed off from Dolph a little, but still looked as pissed off as ever. "Nikki and I are friends, you know, kind of like how you and AJ are friends and spent time together yesterday. You don't hear me demanding to know what's going on between you guys now, do you?" John spat those words out with such anger.

"You're right, I don't see you speculating that anything is going on between AJ and myself, but that's because there's a difference between these two situations and you know it." Dolph said, showing the most confidence since entering this room. "AJ and I are best friends and have been for quite a while. You and Nikki, I've never seen you guys together once, and suddenly yesterday you're laughing and joking, it's just odd."

There was just silence. No immediate response, but instead John bowed his head to the floor and didn't reply for quite a while until finally, he looked Dolph straight in the eye and spoke. "When I first started dating AJ, I said to you that I've never seen a man and a woman so close with each other and not be an item before, do you remember that?"

Dolph arched his eyebrow, not quite sure as to where this change of conversation was leading to. "Yeah, I remember you saying that to me."

"And do you also remember me saying to you that I don't see anything wrong with a man and woman being close friends, because I have a lot of friends who are women myself, but I just found it a little strange that you two were so unbelievably close in the space of a year of getting to know each other?" John asked.

"Yes, I remember all of this, what's your point?"

"My point is Ziggler, how dare you come in here about to basically ask me if I'm cheating on my girlfriend with Nikki when you are far more closer to AJ than I am to Nikki. I told you that day that I'm friends with some women, and guess what, Nikki is one of them."

The tension in the room was now palpable. In part, Dolph felt bad for coming in here all guns blazing and assuming that something could be going on with Nikki and John, but still, there was that awful feeling in the pit of his stomach that just said something here was not right. Whenever Dolph got that feeling, he usually wasn't wrong.

"Look, I'm sorry. I didn't want to get on your bad side like this and I guess I…" Dolph scratched the back of his neck and laughed nervously. He had to figure out what to say next without sounding like a complete idiot. "I guess I can't help but want to look out for AJ, surely you understand. I've had a good amount of history with Nikki also, I know her pretty well, and I don't exactly trust her intentions with men."

John went over to pick up some of his things off the side, all while eyeing up Dolph. "I understand being concerned for AJ's benefit, Dolph, believe me I totally get it. But I think that maybe you're just a little _too_ concerned about AJ."

"What's that supposed to mean?"

"I really don't need to expand on it, you know what I mean." John stated sternly. "Now, like I said, I've got a photo shoot I need to do, so I'm gonna go."

Was he really just implying what he thought he was implying? Did John feel the same way as Zack and think that Dolph had feelings for AJ? Surely he must do, there's no other explanation. John got up from his seat to exit the room, but Dolph blocked his way out.

"John, just before you leave, I need to apologise. We both agreed to get along with each other, and now there's some anguish or whatever between us right now, and that's not what I wanted at all."

John laughed again, but more bitterly this time. "Something tells me that is not the main reason why you came in here, and if it is, you have the funniest way of showing it. Nothing is going on between me and Nikki, I am not cheating on AJ and you know what, I'm just going to come out and say it…"

Cena leaned in a little closer to Dolph, and he'd never seen him look more serious in his life. Two pairs of shining blue eyes locked onto one another's almost as if they were in a battle for dominance. "Admit to yourself that you've got a thing for AJ, and then back the hell off from her, because she's **my **girlfriend. **Not **yours."

Dolph was sick of this. People needed to stop saying this about him and AJ, she was his freaking best friend, nothing more. "I don't have a thing for her." He spoke through gritted teeth.

"Oh please, Dolph, stop lying to yourself." Cena begged, "Do you think AJ hasn't told me all about how you guys became friends in the first place? I know that you liked her and asked her out but she turned you down. Don't stand here and say that you don't still like her in that way when everything you seem to do says differently. I'm not an idiot Dolph, so just own up to it and stay the hell away."

John shoved past Dolph and stormed out of the room. He'd left Dolph completely confused. This wasn't how he'd wanted their conversation to go. He didn't want to feel like there was a possibility that he was lying to himself, because he wasn't, he was sure that he wasn't. AJ was his best friend and he was so sure that any feelings he had felt for AJ when he'd asked her out were left in the past.

Zack was wrong. John was wrong. Dolph was right.

But, perhaps there were some truth to John's last words. Everything Dolph was doing _was_ saying differently to how he thought he felt about AJ. Maybe the saying was true… _Actions speak louder than words. _

Could Dolph be lying to himself?


	7. Chapter 7

**Monday 6****th**** August**

It was 2am and Dolph had only just arrived at the hotel he was staying at for the night. Being a WWE superstar was all that this man had ever wanted to do in his life, and obviously it had its perks, but the amount of travel and lack of sleep that came with his dream job took its toll on him. Nights like this where he had just been driving for three hours straight, and knew that in four hours he had to check out of the hotel and catch a flight just plain sucked. Not to mention the drama with John before the show, that didn't really put him in a good mood.

Dolph opened the door to his room for the night and once he'd walked in he put his entire luggage to the side and released a long, overdue sigh. His eyes wandered around the room. It certainly wasn't the shabbiest of places he'd ever stayed. It had quite a spacious feel with not too many furniture items, and from a first look, the bed looked pretty comfy. That was all he needed right now.

He flopped onto the bed and without even getting under the covers; he closed his eyes hoping to fall into a blissful sleep. But how could a person sleep when they have far too much going on in their minds? He was reluctantly thinking about everything, from John and Zack saying that they thought he had feelings for AJ, to thinking about just AJ alone. It's all he did now, think about her. She was an important person in his life, so having her in his thoughts weren't anything new, but for a while now, she's been the only thing that's really mattered above everything else. Truth be told, it scared him how often he thought of her these days.

That didn't necessarily mean that Zack and John were right about him having feelings for AJ though, he was still sure about that one. Maybe the reason for why he was fighting so hard against having romantic feelings for her was because she was his best friend. Now, Zack could be considered that too, but AJ was different to him in every way. Zack never wanted to have deep conversations, he never wanted to do anything other than go to parties and hang out at the gym. He loved Zack like a brother, but at the end of the day, he wasn't AJ. He now considered AJ his _bestest _friend, and if he even allowed himself to think of her as more than that, he'd risk losing her.

How could he risk losing her as his best friend when all of his relationships turn to mush?

Take Sarah for an example of that. Two weeks ago, Dolph and Sarah were a happy, new couple. When the relationship first started out, it was great. When Dolph got his few days off from work, he went and stayed at her apartment with her, they had fun and for the rest of the week, they texted each other and had occasional phone calls. That's more than some couples get to have at all. He should have known it was a relationship doomed to fail though, a busy teacher and an even busier wrestler doesn't sound like it would last a few weeks, never mind a month.

Another relationship that was actually his longest, but still turned out badly for the show off. His relationship with Nikki Bella. They had dated each other for about a year quite a while back, and they had a lot of fun, but that's all it really was. There was no clear commitment between them, and it wasn't really going anywhere. After a year of being together, Dolph felt like he was supposed to be completely in love and thinking about marriage, a future, all of that stuff. But he didn't. He wanted out, and honestly cared more about finding someone else more suited to him to settle down with. A few years later, he still hasn't found that.

Nikki and John. That situation still felt rather weird to him. Something wasn't right and he could feel it in his bones. It could have just been the way they looked together, far too comfy for a couple of people who were just friends. Sure, maybe Dolph was being hypocritical with how close he was with AJ, but this whole John and Nikki friendship had never even been heard of before, so what's with the closeness? Also, AJ said that John had something to do for work while they were getting their dinner, and having some friendship time with a Bella twin didn't exactly look like work. John may have been adamant that nothing is going on, but Dolph couldn't trust him. And despite how he wanted so desperately to get along with the man for AJ's sake, he still didn't like him and judging by his words earlier, John still didn't like Dolph.

_"Do you think AJ hasn't told me all about how you guys became friends in the first place? I know that you liked her and asked her out but she turned you down. Don't stand here and say that you don't still like her in that way when everything you seem to do says differently. I'm not an idiot Dolph, so just own up to it and stay the hell away."_

The words were rattling around in his head. _Own up to it and stay the hell away._ That's the line that hurt the most. Was John really threatening him, AJ's best friend in the world, to stay away? What gave him the right? Like Dolph could ever stay away from AJ. She had said to Dolph a while ago that no matter what happens, they wouldn't let relationships get in the way of their friendship, and damn it he was going to stick to that, so if John thought he could order Dolph to stay away from her just in case he's harbouring some feelings (which he was sure he didn't have), that asshole had another thing coming.

Dolph was just about to doze off in spite of having too much on his mind until he felt his phone vibrate in the pocket of his black hoodie. **2am**. It was 2am, who in the world would want to make a phone call right now?

He pulled the phone out of his pocket and answered without even opening his eyes. "Hello?" He asked groggily.

"Hey, I'm so sorry if I woke you, it's AJ," Dolph's eyes flew open as soon as he heard her gentle, whispering voice on the other end of the line. "I know it's really late, but John's just fallen asleep."

Oh no. He probably told her about the whole thing back in the locker room and she's been waiting for John to fall asleep so she could yell at him. He was way too tired to get into a squabble with her right now. "It's fine, I was still awake, you know me, I don't get much sleep. So, what's up, and why are you whispering?"

"Nothing really, I just wanted to talk to you. As for the whispering thing, I just told you, John's asleep so I don't want to wake him. So, me and you haven't really gotten the chance to talk at all today, which is weird for us. I kind of missed talking to you."

"You're calling me up at 2 in the morning because you miss talking to me? Do you think I'm stupid, come on, I know you rang me because you want something, so 'fess up." He said.

"You know me too well," She laughed "I was just wondering if you would come to Tampa on Wednesday and go shopping with me? It's no big deal if you don't want to go, I just really want your opinion on something if you did come."

This was the type of weird and wonderful friendship they had. She calls him up at such a stupid hour just to ask if he'll go shopping with her. If this was Zack asking this question, he would have told him to fuck off and ignored him for about a week. But AJ, sweet little AJ, he could never do anything like that to her. He may not agree about having feelings for her, but he knew that she had him wrapped around her little finger. "Erm, why do you want me to go shopping with you?" He muttered, rubbing his eyes from the tiredness.

"Like we said the other day, we should do more stuff together like going out, just like we used to. Also, it's mine and John's anniversary soon and I wanted to get him a little gift. I thought if I could get a guy's opinion it would help me out, because so far I'm stuck on what to buy."

His heart sank a little when finding out the reason for this was so she could buy John Cena an anniversary gift. How long had they been together already? Too long, that's for sure. "Wow, anniversary present, huh?" He mumbled, "How long has it been for you two then?"

"Six months this Thursday."

"Really? That long?"

"Yep, half a year. I've never really had a relationship last this long before, so it's special to me I guess."

He bit his lip hard from saying something dumb in reply. A part of him really wanted to question why she was still with him after all this time when he couldn't understand how she could even like him. The Nikki Bella thing also made him want to drive over to whichever hotel AJ was staying at, and beg her to get rid.

"Yeah, it is a long time." Dolph sighed "Anyway, sure, I'll come shopping with you on Wednesday. Just let me know what time you want to go and I'll come meet you."

"Thanks Dolph, you're the best." Even while she was whispering to avoid waking up Cena, he could tell she was excited about being able to go out with him. That brought a smile to his face. "Again, I'm sorry for ringing you at this time but we've both been so busy, I wasn't sure when I'd get another chance to talk. I'll let you go sleep now, so good night, I love you, Ziggy."

She hung up but he still left the phone pressed against his ear. Was this the first time AJ had told Dolph that she loved him? No, absolutely not. This was just another in a long list of times she had ended a phone call by saying she loved him, and she meant it in a best friend kind of way, of course. But that didn't change how he was sat upright on the bed, smiling, smiling wider and brighter than he'd ever smiled before. That's when he knew.

He loved her. It wasn't just him having feelings for this girl who happened to be a huge part of his life, it was so much more than that. It was given away with his beaming smile and butterflies that were still fluttering around in his stomach, even now. He was completely in love with her, and maybe he had been for a while now, but he'd always suppressed it, pushed the mere thought out of his mind. He'd only realised it now, and the realisation had just hit him like a ton of bricks.

He was in love with his best friend.

Dolph started to panic a little. This couldn't happen. This was the last thing he wanted. Feelings would only ruin things for him and AJ, and he couldn't lose her. **Ever**. She was a part of him now, and she so clearly didn't feel the same way, she wants to buy an anniversary present for her boyfriend of six months for crying out loud.

But everything was starting to make sense, like a cloud that had been hanging over his head had now disappeared. His hatred for Cena was probably caused by how he didn't want to see AJ with anybody else. His long list of failed relationships (they weren't good before he met AJ, but they became worse after becoming her friend), they were all doomed to fail, and why? Because he was in love with AJ, not those girls. They didn't hold a candle to AJ, and he knew it.

This was some weird, huge discovery he'd made, but he was too tired to even analyse everything right now. Maybe it was the lack of sleep, he was going delirious and actually, he only loved her as a friend and nothing more.

Yeah, that could be it. He was just sleep deprived. Sounds logical, right?

Dolph shook his head free of these thoughts, and got up to strip himself of his normal clothing. Once he was down into just his boxer shorts, he climbed into bed and turned off the lamp next to him which he wasn't sure if it was already on when he got here, or if he had switched it on without realising at some point. Once his head hit the pillow, unlike earlier, he managed to fall asleep right away. Just before he dozed off however, there was only one thought going through his head.

He was in love with AJ.


	8. Chapter 8

**Thanks to everyone who has been leaving sweet reviews. They are honestly my motivation to keep going with this story as I have a lot going on right now, so thanks again. Dolph finally admitted to himself that he loves AJ! Just to let you guys know, after the next few chapters, the story will focus on AJ's side of things more than Dolph's side like how it has in previous chapters. Anyway, hope you enjoy this chapter and I will hopefully get another one up as soon as possible.**

* * *

**Wednesday 8****th**** August**

Tampa, Florida. Damn, it was a really hot day today.

As promised, Dolph had arrived in Tampa not so long ago to go shopping with AJ so she could buy her precious boyfriend an anniversary gift. Yes, it left a bitter taste in the show off's mouth about it, especially after his epic realisation of how he feels about her, but when all is said and done he is still her best friend, and this is the type of things best friends do.

Dolph had a few days to think things over, and he thought it would be best to bury his feelings for a while at the very least. AJ is happy in her relationship with John, and much like how she said she didn't want to get involved in his previous relationship with Sarah, he didn't want to get involved in her relationship with John. He didn't want to meddle because it would make him a pretty sucky friend. No matter how suspicious of John he was, he'd have to try and let those suspicions go. It was for the best.

But… he'd let those suspicions go _after _he had a quick chat with his former flame, Nikki Bella.

Nikki lived right here in Tampa about 15 minutes away from where AJ lived, so here Dolph was, driving up to Nikki's house before going to meet up with the general manager of raw. It was tearing him up inside, feeling like something could be going on between Nikki and John, he couldn't just ignore it and he'd already voiced his concerns with John, so the next and final thing to do would to be talk things through with Nikki. He knew her well, and hoped that at least if she ended up lying about something, he would be able to notice. She always avoided any eye contact when she was lying, that would be the giveaway. Nikki might end up telling the truth about things, or Dolph could just be paranoid about everything, but at least talking to her would be able to shed some light on the truth and he could be able to let this whole thing go.

He parked up across the road of the lavish abode. It really was an expensive looking place, and hasn't really changed all that much since the last time he was here when he was dating Nikki. He called himself the show off, but this house gave his title a run for its money. I guess that was a reason why he preferred AJ to most other girls he knew, she didn't really have to show off anything or prove herself to anybody, she was perfectly comfortable living in a smaller and much more comfortable home. She was the opposite to him in that respect, but that's what he loved about her, she wasn't like him in so many ways, yet she complemented him with that somehow. He really needed to stop thinking about all the ways he loved her if he was sure he was going to move on.

Dolph unclipped his seatbelt and just as he was about to get out of the car, he saw a similar sight to last Saturday. Nikki and John. Together, joking and laughing again. About to go into her house. Dolph slid down in his seat so they couldn't see him. They wouldn't recognise his car anyway, it was a rental. Why the hell are they together again? And about to walk into her house too. Something bad was going on, and really, _this _time, Dolph could only draw one conclusion from this.

And then his suspicions were confirmed. Right before the two slipped inside the property, he saw them… **kissing**. Their hands were all over each other, as if they couldn't wait to get inside and out of public viewing.

"That low life _fucking __**scumbag**_!" Dolph muttered under his breath. He was furious. How _dare_ he cheat on AJ! It took all of the strength inside of him not to run out of his car and beat John within an inch of his life.

How could he do this? AJ is the greatest girl Dolph knows, hell, she's probably the greatest girl in the world and he sneaks around with someone like Nikki Bella?! Dolph has been with Nikki, he knows what she's all about and there was no way that he would cheat on AJ for someone like her. John Cena is a cheating, lying asshole. And he was going to pay.

Dolph didn't know what to do next. He's meeting AJ in less than half an hour, and he is supposed to be helping her pick out stupid anniversary gifs for a cheater. He really wished that his instincts about John and Nikki weren't true. Sure, he'd _love _to see AJ break up with his cheating ass, but when she finds out about this, she's going to be so heartbroken.

He didn't want that at all.

Dolph sat in the car for another ten minutes. He was angry, confused, restless, agitated, shocked, but most of all he was sad for AJ's benefit. How could he break it to her that she's dating a total jerk?

His phone started to ring. '_Now is not the time, Zack'_ he thought to himself when seeing his name pop up on his screen. Dolph answered anyway.

"What do you want?" He seethed, and the anger and bitterness evident in the tone of his voice.

"Bro, that is not the type of greeting I expected from you. Why do you sound so pissed off?"

"Because I'm going to rip John fucking Cena's puny little head from his body, that's why."

Zack was silent for a moment, and Dolph couldn't take it anymore. He got out of the car on a mission to beat the crap out of Cena for what he's done to his best friend.

"Hey, whoa, what the hell is going on right now, Dolph?" Zack frantically asked.

"Remember how I told you that I thought something wasn't right between Nikki and Cena?" He asked, still walking over to Nikki's house. "Well he's in her house right now probably screwing her behind AJ's back. I saw them kissing just as they were about to enter her house."

"Seriously?"

"I am deadly fucking serious."

"Calm down alright, you sound really angry right now and I'm scared you're gonna do something stupid." He begged.

"Only if you consider punching John repeatedly in his face stupid."

"Yes, that's exactly what I mean by stupid! Dolph, listen to me," he said, "Before you even think about going in there, consider AJ in all of this, alright, think about how she's going to react to finding out you beat up her boyfriend."

"But he's cheating on her, Zack! He deserves what's coming to him!" Dolph yelled.

"I know he is, but going in there is only going to make things worse, trust me. Dolph, get back in your car and just drive away, okay, aren't you supposed to be meeting AJ soon?"

He stopped right outside her house. The rage-filled wrestler started to calm down a little bit and think about what Zack was saying. If he went into Nikki's house all guns blazing and attacked John like he so badly wanted to, then what good would be caused? He has to meet up with AJ soon, and the news of her boyfriend of almost six months cheating on her is going to be bad enough, he didn't want to add to her problems by getting into a scrap. Zack, for once, was being reasonable and Dolph really needed to listen to what he was saying

Dolph walked back over to the car and sat back inside. "You're right, I can't go in there. I've gotta meet her in 15 minutes."

"How are you going to break this to her?" Zack questioned.

Ziggler sighed and started banging his head against the steering wheel in frustration. He was so angry at John for doing this, and hadn't even begun to figure out how he was going to tell AJ. "I don't have a clue man, how can I do it? It's gonna break her heart, and I'm not sure I can handle seeing her get hurt by this. Maybe I should just take a rain check on meeting up with her."

"No, that's an even more stupid idea than taking your rage out on John. You've gotta tell her Dolph, she doesn't deserve to be lied to about this whole thing."

Dolph fell silent for a while as he let his head rest against the steering wheel. He envisioned seeing her face once he told her, and how her eyes would probably start to get watery but she'd hold back the tears for as long as possible because she always had to try and prove that she was a strong woman. He wouldn't be able to handle looking into those watery brown orbs. Her eyes displayed so many emotions, and they were so darn hypnotizing. His own heart would break just looking into them.

"You were right, you know." Dolph finally spoke.

"About what?"

"About AJ. About how I have feelings for her. I tried to suppress them and I was so sure that you were wrong, but you're not. You were right, I have feelings for her, and I can't fight them any longer." His voice broke a little during his admission. Dolph wasn't going to go the whole way and admit that he was sure he was in love with her, that was just too much to admit to another guy right now.

"I know, it was only a matter of time before you realised it yourself." Zack said, almost sounding smug over the phone for knowing it in the first place. "Are you going to tell her about your feelings?"

"No, Zack, I can't and I won't do that. And changing the subject back to what's most important here, what the hell am I going to do about telling AJ that John is cheating on her?"

"I don't know, Dolph, that's all up to you," Zack sighed, "You know AJ a whole lot better than what I do, I'm sure you'll be able to come up with a better way to break this news to her than whatever I can come up with. Look, I've gotta go, talk to me later and let me know what's happened."

"See you later buddy."

Dolph ended the call and then took a final glimpse at Nikki's house. He still couldn't believe that he was right about all of this and that John would actually cheat on AJ. And now he had to go and meet the poor girl who was blissfully unaware that all of this was happening. Dolph hated everything right now.

* * *

He beeped his car horn to alert AJ that he was waiting outside her house. It was kind of pathetic how nervous and scared he was to see her when he knows she's being lied to. Dolph Ziggler was one of the best WWE superstars in the business today, he was as tough as they came, but just being honest with a petite brunette woman frightened the life out of him. AJ was his one and only weakness.

Dolph saw her leaving her home and making her way over to his car. Damn, she looked so happy right now. And beautiful, but then again she always looked beautiful to him no matter what. How could he not realise that he loved this woman sooner?

"Hey, Ziggy!" She said as she got into the car, all smiley and adorable. He always without a shadow of a doubt loved to see her smile, but today he appreciated seeing it even more. At least while it lasted.

"Hello to you too. You seem happy today, what's up?"

"Nothing's up, I'm just in a good mood," She smiled at him again, "I get to spend my day off with my best friend, so I'm a happy little crazy chick."

Seeing her this way was rather bittersweet. He knew the truth that she didn't even have a clue about, and as much as he hated to take away this good mood from her, he didn't want to wait until after they were finished shopping for that stupid anniversary present to ruin everything for her. Here goes nothing.

"Look, AJ, there's something that I have to tell you."


	9. Chapter 9

**Wednesday 8****th**** August**

He had no guts to be upfront with AJ and was a pitiful excuse for a friend. Or at least that's what he thought he was. Dolph had the perfect set up to break the news that her boyfriend is cheating on her right there in the car outside of her house, but he bottled it. It was her eyes that did it. That fateful look in her eyes where he could just see how utterly happy she was, and he didn't have the heart to ruin that. How could he? It meant everything to him to see her so happy, there was no way he could make that all disappear. He'd share one day with her, one day where he was able to see her joyful and excited to be with him, and then he'd tell her everything.

He still felt like the worst friend ever though, and he wasn't even the one that was currently sneaking around behind her back. It's just how he knew of it all happening, yet she is blissfully unaware, and the more he thinks about how her world is going to be turned upside down when she hears about it all, the more it pained him. How he wished that this was all just a dumb nightmare.

"Dolph, what is wrong with you today? You really don't seem yourself." AJ asked him.

The pair were currently walking through a store that sold pretty much everything you'd need, and Dolph was trailing behind her, not really paying much attention to shopping but instead thinking about the obvious turn of events. He glanced over and tried his best to fake a smile and hope that she doesn't see through it.

"I'm fine. I just don't think I'm really in the mood for shopping today, that's all."

"Oh, really?" She stopped in the middle of the store to talk directly to him. "If you want, I can just find this gift and then we'll take off. We can head back to mine and watch a few movies, that sound good?"

She had to remind him. That damn anniversary gift for John. He didn't deserve a gift, he deserved a punch in the face more than anything. "Sure, let's do that." He falsely smiled again.

They carried on walking around for a little while longer until something caught AJ's eye. She let out a small squeal of joy and Dolph knew she must have found something that she'd been looking for.

"Oh my gosh, are you seeing this? Don't you think this would be perfect for John?" She gushed and looked to Dolph for his approval.

Dolph finally saw what AJ was getting so excited about. In front of him was a model of a car, an old sport's car and damn, it was seriously expensive. The price tag said 500 dollars, and Dolph almost choked on the gum he had in his mouth. 500 dollars on a stupid six month anniversary gift that didn't look like it was worth 50 dollars, what the hell is she thinking?

"A toy car that's worth that much, are you for real?" He queried.

"You don't understand, it's not just a toy car, Dolph" She answered, "It's a toy car model that looks _exactly _like the real one he's been looking to buy. You know John has his little hobby of collecting muscle cars, this is the perfect gift for him, and I can't believe it's in this place!"

"AJ, 500 dollars is a hell of a lot of money."

"I know, but it's for a special occasion. I'm getting it."

AJ started to skip away to go find an assistant so she could purchase the item, but there was no way Dolph was going to allow her to spend that kind of money for someone like Cena. He sprinted after her and stopped right before her frame. "AJ, you can't buy that model."

She furrowed her eyebrows together and never had he seen her look more confused before. "Why? Because it's expensive? Dolph, it's the perfect gift, and that's the reason why we're here right now, to buy something for John so just let me buy the damn thing okay?"

"No, you can't, you just…" He stopped himself from carrying on any further. He couldn't say anything else to stop her from buying this damn gift without explaining everything to her. If he had to tell her about John and Nikki, he couldn't do it here, in front of all these customers. "Come with me." He said and grabbed hold of her wrist and guided her through the store past all of the watchful eyes.

He could feel her trying to pull away, but he had to explain so she wasn't getting away from him. Now was the right time because there was no way he was allowing her to buy that thing.

"Dolph, you're freaking me out okay, what is your problem?" She frowned at him once they were outside.

Dolph tried to figure out exactly how he would word things. He was currently trying to find the best words that would break his best friend's heart the least, how in the world is that fair for him when he's done nothing wrong? "AJ, I tried to tell you this earlier but I guess I just bottled it, but um… you can't… John is… well-"

"Jesus Christ Dolph, spit it out. You're really starting to scare me."

"John is cheating on you." He blurted out the words with his eyes tightly shut. He couldn't bear to see that look from her.

"What?" She mumbled, and he opened his eyes again to see her big doe eyes staring up at him. He would make sure John Cena would pay for this.

"Earlier today, before I came to meet up with you, I went by Nikki Bella's house. Just before I went in there, I saw John and Nikki together. I saw them kiss and then go inside her home. AJ, I am so sorry to be the one to have to tell you this, and I'm sorry I didn't say it sooner than right now, but I didn't know how to break it to you." Dolph was practically pleading with her to forgive him for not being honest about it sooner, even though she had shown no signs of being mad with him. To be truthful, she wasn't showing any signs of anything. Her expression was emotionless.

He stood in front of her, awaiting a response. People were walking by the two of them and he really hoped that none of them were WWE fans who will recognise them, because now was not the time to be socialising with fans. AJ was unreadable. This was an unusual sight for Dolph who was so used to being able to decipher how she was feeling at any given time. It was like she was a doll, with no movement whatsoever.

"AJ, please, say something." He begged softly.

All she did was blink. No tears, no anger, no sorrow. Just blinking. Was she in shock? Probably, and he couldn't blame her for that. This was a huge bombshell to drop on her. With every second that passed, Dolph felt a little more guilty for being the one to tell her this. Why did John have to be such a giant douchebag?

AJ suddenly switched from showing no emotion, to being emotion-filled. But not in the way that he had expected. She was… _laughing._ He had told her that her scumbag of a boyfriend was cheating on her, and here she was in public, laughing. Was this like a coping mechanism he didn't know she had? Of all the times to laugh AJ, this was not one of them.

"Why are you laughing?" He asked.

She didn't respond to his question with a proper answer. Instead, she stopped laughing and simply said the word "No."

"Okay, AJ, you're the one who's scaring me now." He nervously chuckled. "What do you mean, 'no'?"

"No" She reiterated, "_No. _John isn't cheating on me."

"Alright, I get it. You're in shock by all of this, but AJ, yes he is. I'm so sorry." He told her.

"Do you have any proof of this?" AJ had quickly gone from being in a laughing fit to being deadly serious.

Dolph tilted his head to the side in confusion. "No, I don't have any proof. I-"

"Then I don't believe you."

He staggered back a little, floored by her immediate response to him. She **always **believed what he told her. Never once in their friendship had she said something like this with such confidence and honesty, but now, when he needed her to believe him the most, she didn't. It actually made his stomach turn to think about her not believing him.

"You don't believe me? I am being one hundred percent honest with you, I wouldn't even dare make up something like this." He protested.

"Oh please, Dolph, do you think I'm stupid?" She laughed again for a moment, but this time with more sarcasm to it. "I can tell why you're saying all of this to me."

"I don't understand what you mean."

"Here I was thinking that you were being honest about trying to get along with John, but it seems as if you're just a huge liar about everything, aren't you?" She sternly told him.

She didn't believe him. She thought he was a liar. He had tried to prepare himself for her being hurt, broken, maybe even angry at John. Dolph never even contemplated that this would be the way that she would react. "I am not a liar! I swear to you AJ, I would never lie to you!" He raised his voice at her. It was obvious that Dolph was frantically trying to get AJ to believe him, and now he was way past the point of caring if people noticed them and started listening in on their conversation. All he cared about was making his best friend, the girl he loved, believe in him again.

"But you hate him!" She yelled. "You hate John, and it's all a little ironic that suddenly now you're saying this about him."

Now _he _was the one who couldn't believe _her._ How could she ever even think this of him? It's one thing to hate someone, but it's another to lie about them, and he was certainly not a liar.

"AJ, do you really think I would stoop that low? Sure, I don't like John, I certainly despise him after seeing him cheat on you with my own two eyes, but I would never lie about something like this!" He shouted back at her in response. Dolph was actually angry now. He wasn't really angry at AJ per say, he was more angry about all of this. It was all stupid. All he was trying to do was be a good friend and let AJ know when she's being cheated on, but yet he was being accused of being a liar for doing the right thing.

"No, I never would have thought you would lie to me ever, but I know my boyfriend Dolph, he wouldn't do this to me." AJ's eyes were now becoming watery and her voice was starting to break. "You don't like him, and for some strange reason that I've never been able to understand, you're jealous of him, so forgive me for thinking that you lying about this sounds more believable."

"Jealous? You _really _think I'm jealous of John Cena?"

"Yes!" She screamed, a single tear now trickling down her cheek. "Why wouldn't you be jealous of him? He's in the exact position of the company where you want to be, and maybe you're annoyed that lately I spend more time with him than I do with you."

Shocked wasn't even the word to describe the feeling that was produced by listening to these words fly out of AJ's mouth. All of this felt so surreal, and he couldn't quite believe that they were arguing about this in front of hundreds of people walking around here in the middle of Tampa.

He didn't know what to say back to her, so he looked around at all of the people passing by to distract himself. They all looked as if they didn't have a care in the world. He wished he could be one of them. He wished he didn't know about John and Nikki, and he wished more than anything that he didn't care so deeply about AJ so that way, this argument wouldn't be breaking his heart like it was. She was calling him a jealous liar. What could be worse?

"Are you going to answer me, Ziggler?" She asked him with a hint of venom laced in with her words. He looked back down at her and simply shook his head.

"I don't know what else to say to you, AJ. Here I am, being completely honest about everything, and now you're coming out with all of this crap about me being jealous of John and lying to you. That's not who I am AJ, and you know that!" He bended his knees a little so he was on the same eye level as her. "I am telling you the truth because I thought you deserved to know that, and because I am always the person to look out for you, so if I find out that your precious dirtbag of a boyfriend is cheating on you, then I'm going to tell you about it. I… forget it, I can't do this."

Dolph turned around and started to walk away from her. AJ wiped the new, fresh tears that had formed in her eyes and called out to him. "So what, you're just going to leave me here after saying all of that to me? You're supposed to be giving me a ride home, Dolph."

"Yeah, I know I was, but you know what," He turned around to her one final time before leaving. "You should probably just get a cab home instead. I mean, I wouldn't want for you to share a ride home with someone who you can't trust and is obviously a complete liar."

For the second time, he turned away from her and walked. Dolph felt like his heart was racing at a thousand miles per minute, and not for any good reason. Everything was wrong right now, and he should not be the one to be left feeling like he had lost everything because of John's lies. But he did, and this was the biggest bust up he and AJ had ever had, so much worse than their little squabble back in Long Island at his birthday party.

What if there was no coming back from this fight? The thought of AJ not being a part of his life damn near killed him. This was all Cena's fault, and Dolph could now only hope that AJ would see sense and believe that what he was telling her was the truth.


	10. Chapter 10

**So, I mentioned in a chapter not long ago that the story was going to shift to AJ's side of things instead of Dolph, and it starts in this chapter. It is split into two parts to see both sides of things, but all future chapters will be from AJ's pov from now on. Thanks to the people who continue to read this story and leave reviews. Enjoy the chapter!**

* * *

**Thursday 9****th**** August**

"Dolph, if you're just going to be moping around, did you really have to come all the way out to Long Island to do it? Haven't you got your own home to do that in?"

Zack was right, all Dolph was doing was moping around, feeling sorry for himself about the argument he had with AJ yesterday. He took a flight to Long Island and stayed overnight because honestly, he didn't want to be alone. Maybe that sounded weird, but he just needed a buddy to talk to about everything, and other than AJ, Zack was the closest friend he had. Not that Zack was extremely helpful, he was sure that it was just a petty argument and Dolph and AJ would be friends again within the next few days, but Dolph thought differently. Zack wasn't there to see just how serious AJ was about everything she was saying, he didn't see her on the verge of breaking down. It was bad, and not for the reasons he had expected.

Dolph still couldn't wrap his head around how AJ was refusing to believe him about John and Nikki. After everything they had been through, she thought _he_ was lying. And for what? Just because he didn't like John. He couldn't even fathom that she would think he would be that petty. But unfortunately, she did, and they weren't talking to each other. Dolph would be lying if he said he wasn't scared that they couldn't work things out, and honestly, he felt like he'd just had his heart broken. He loved her, he truly did, and she was choosing to believe that her boyfriend was a saint when he wasn't. Funny how some things work out.

"I'm sorry, I know I'm acting pretty lame right now, but can you blame me?" Dolph asked him.

Zack threw Dolph a water bottle and then went to go sit next to him on his couch. "You know I don't blame you for being this way bro, but she's probably just in shock of it all. Finding out that your man is cheating on you isn't the easiest thing to take in."

"But Zack, you weren't there man, you didn't see the way she was." Dolph said glumly. "She started laughing when I told her, and then got so mad at me, I've never seen her go off that way before, unless it was scripted for raw or something. AJ looked at me like I was this evil guy who was purposely trying to hurt her, and just… in a word, it sucked."

"So it sucked, I get that, but it's not like you've never had an argument with AJ before. You'll work this thing out."

"I wouldn't be so sure. We've never had an argument like that. To be honest, we've hardly ever had any arguments, just minor ones that got worked out not that long after."

Dolph got up off the couch and started walking around Zack's apartment. He tended to pace around to distract himself, but today it just wasn't working. Nothing seemed to take AJ off his mind, and he felt like he was going stark raving mad over thinking about her.

"Do you think I should call her?" Dolph asked Zack with a hopeful look. Zack could clearly see just how much he cared about AJ, now so more than ever.

"But what good is that going to do?" Zack frowned. "I know you're dying to talk to her Dolph, but you're not in the wrong here, you've just been a good friend. Stop beating yourself up about it when John is the dick in all of this. AJ's just confused, and she'll find out about John and Nikki eventually."

"Alright yeah, that could happen, but what if she doesn't find out? What if John carries on lying to her and this thing with Nikki and she never finds out? What if she really does think I'm lying about all this, never talks to me again and ends up spending the rest of her life with Cena? It could happen, Zack." Dolph argued.

Zack got up and walked over to Dolph. "First, stop thinking about every bad thing that can happen, alright?" He urged, placing a comforting hand on his shoulder. "Because if John's having an affair like you say he is, he'll get caught out. And another thing, Dolph, seriously, you've gotta stop this."

"What are you talking about?"

"Look at you, man. You're like head over heels for this chick, and she isn't even your girlfriend. I hate John just as much as you do after hearing about what he did, but maybe he did have a point about you and AJ being too close."

Dolph scowled at Zack for saying he agrees with John about that. He did not need someone else talking crap about his and AJ's friendship, a friendship that might not even exist for all that he knew right now. "You don't know what you're talking about, so shut up." He snapped.

"See, this is exactly what I'm talking about man, look at you right now! You're so protective over her, and I'm not saying that it's a bad thing, because it's not, it's great that you and her have such a close relationship but… it's weird, Dolph. You have feelings for her, way more than just a friend, and let's say you and AJ worked things out and she broke up with John... what then? Are you ever gonna own up to your feelings, and if you did, is she gonna feel the same way? That could ruin things for you guys, and if you didn't tell her, you can't just be her best friend when you so clearly want something more."

Dolph shook his head, not wanting to listen to what Zack was saying, but knowing that he was right. While all this drama with John has been going on, he's never really thought about how things would work with AJ. He couldn't really continue to be her best friend, by her side each and every day, acting like he didn't have strong feelings for her, because it would be a lie. Despite what she thought of him right now, he couldn't lie to her about how he felt. If they did end up okay after their argument, things wouldn't be the same.

"Tell me what I've gotta do then. Seriously Zack, just tell me what I should do next in all of this and I'll do it." Dolph told him.

Zack was a little caught off guard with Dolph saying this to him, but he understood why he said it. Dolph felt so lost right now, and he just needed some direction on what to do next. The past year of his life had basically been focused around AJ, so he needed to get away from that. Start fresh perhaps. Zack was going to help him.

"Alright, well you know what I think you should do first?" Zack asked him and Dolph shook his head. "I think you should get out of here and go find a girl who isn't your best friend, and someone who also doesn't have a cheating boyfriend who you can have a great time with. You need to get back out there and find someone who will care about you, bro."

"Oh Zack, no, man, it's not that easy to just go out and get some girl. I can't just ignore everything with AJ and how I feel about her, I'm not going to do that." Dolph protested.

"Hey, you said that I've gotta tell you what to do and you'll do it. You might not think it's the best idea, but trust me, it is." Zack assured him. "Just try and move on from her Dolph, and if it doesn't work, then fine. You've got nothing to lose."

Dolph pulled out his phone and stared at the screen. No calls or texts from anyone. More specifically, nothing from AJ. Maybe she didn't care anymore. Perhaps all of the bad stuff that Dolph has been getting worked up about actually ended up happening, and here Dolph is refusing to see other women while she just doesn't give a damn. That's no way to live his life.

"Fine," Dolph replied. "It's time to move on."

* * *

**Thursday 9****th**** August**

Curled up on her bed in Tampa at 10 o' clock at night, the world didn't seem like its usual, charming self anymore to AJ. When Dolph told her that John was cheating on her, it was like everything in her life changed dramatically. All that was supposed to happen yesterday was that she would find a nice anniversary gift for her boyfriend, and spend the rest of the day with her best friend. That was all. That was what she had wanted, but instead, she got in a bust up with Dolph, and spent the rest of the night crying. And AJ wasn't the type of girl who cried easily.

Did she really think Dolph was a liar? No. AJ knew that Dolph, throughout everything, had always been honest with her. But this news of John cheating with Nikki, it just didn't make sense to her, so it was hard to believe in it. John was the good guy. He was a man who was noble, honest and treated her like a princess. As far as AJ knew, he didn't even talk to Nikki, so why on earth would he be fooling around with her? Of course now she had doubts in her mind that he was cheating on her, but she couldn't help but still have some faith in her boyfriend. Her mind and heart were both conflicted on what was right and what was wrong.

AJ pulled out her phone from her bedside draw to see if she had any new messages. She hadn't touched her phone all day because she'd not been in the mood to talk to anyone. Only 1 new message, and nothing from Dolph. Odd. She'd honestly expected to see something from him. He texted her every single day, without fail, and if he didn't text her it was because he was either with her, or he called her up. She must have hurt him with what she said yesterday. It left a dodgy feeling in the pit of her stomach to know that he wasn't trying to contact her or sort things out from their fight. It was starting to dawn on her that she perhaps took him for granted as her best friend. Maybe she should contact him?

Although there wasn't a text or anything from Dolph, there was a message from John. AJ wasn't sure whether she wanted to read it. She strongly believed that he wasn't sneaking around behind her back, but that portion of doubt in her heart was there, and it made her not want to talk to John right now at all. Even though she didn't really want to read, the curiosity to see what he put was killing her.

_'Hey baby, happy six month anniversary. These past six months have been incredible, and I can't wait to spend even more amazing months with you. Xxx'_

Oh damn, she forgot. Only yesterday she was shopping for their anniversary present, but with all the stuff that's happened, she completely forgot that today was their six month anniversary. She had been awake since 5 this morning, that was 17 hours ago, and she never once thought 'oh yeah, today's my anniversary with John'.

_'Happy anniversary to you, too. Sorry for my late reply, I haven't checked my phone all day. x'_

AJ left the response to John's message small. Everything was so confusing right now, it didn't feel right to act all flirty with him like she usually did, not if there was even the slightest chance of him being with Nikki. It was all just too surreal right now. AJ let her head fall down on her pillow and she started rubbing her temples with her dainty fingers, waiting for John's reply. All of this thinking that she had been doing lately was taking its toll.

Why couldn't everything be simple?

Why were there always complications in her life no matter what? Not so long ago, the only thing AJ was upset about was the fact that John and Dolph didn't get along, but now one of the people who she was so close to was lying to her, and she honestly had no clue which one it was.

_'It's alright baby, I understand. I want to be with you so bad right now, but unfortunately I'm going to be really busy with work for the next week. But I promise, we'll spend some time alone once my schedule's a little lighter. Xxx'_

Busy? John was busy now all of a sudden? Flashing red alarm lights were going off in AJ's mind to alert her that something was wrong. Usually when John was swamped at work, he told her far in advance but he hasn't once mentioned that he was going to be busy round about now. Thoughts of him spending the entire week with Nikki were swirling around in her head. He was probably with her right now, laughing about how he thought she didn't have a clue what he was doing behind her back.

No. No, surely not. This was him just texting her to let her know now that his schedule was going to be hectic, he may have only just found out. John was the company's number one guy, this is something that should be expected.

The current general manager of raw was so torn about what to believe right now, and what she needed most was a hug, or someone to just let her know that they were there for her. She needed Dolph. Her best friend. But he wasn't here, and it was all her fault.

The tears that this Jersey native had tried so hard to fight back all day were now flowing freely.


	11. Chapter 11

**Thursday 16****th**** August**

For one full week, AJ had been alone. Sure, she'd been at work and seen plenty of co-workers and fans, but she still felt alone. Dolph wasn't talking to her. John was consistently busy that he could barely speak a few words to her. It was times like these that made her wish she was still friends with Kaitlyn. AJ really did miss her former chickbuster friend, but after one of the biggest arguments she'd ever had in her life with her, the chances of them ever becoming friends again were slim to none. AJ never really allowed herself to miss Kaitlyn, probably due to being so close with Dolph and having such a great time with him. But right now she has no one, and all she could think about was the friendships she so truly missed, Kaitlyn and Dolph being right at the top of that list.

Honestly, AJ didn't really miss John that much. It's weird, they've been together six months, spending nearly every day together, but now when he wasn't available, it didn't really feel so bad to be without him. It was probably because of the bombshell Dolph dropped on her last week that made her not really want to be around him. She still couldn't wrap her head around it. John might be cheating on her. He could be a dirty, cheating liar. Or Dolph could be lying. Either way, someone she cared about was hurting her.

AJ was currently driving in her rental SUV down the streets of Boston, windows down and the radio on loud. She needed something to distract her from going over what Dolph had told her again and again. She was at the point now where she thought that she was becoming scarily close to her 'crazy' on screen character because of all this new information. And that was why she was here in Boston, to surprise John and talk to him about everything. Yes, she didn't really feel like she was missing him or wanted to be around him, but she had to know what was truly going on before she really did become insane.

After almost getting lost down the busy roads, she finally pulled up in John's drive way. All of his expensive cars were parked up nicely and his house looked the same way since she was last here. Lavish, rich and luxurious. It wasn't her thing at all. This was a huge mansion worth much more than she could ever dream to afford. She much preferred cosy looking houses, or at least ones that looked nice and not too overdone. AJ's mind wandered to thinking about Dolph's house in Phoenix. It was such a beautiful place that was a little more flashy than what she lived in, but was somehow just right and had a homey feel to it. She missed taking trips to Phoenix and spending time with Dolph. That was the next thing to do on her list, right after sorting things with John. That is, if Dolph wasn't lying to her.

She walked over to the big white front door and pulled out a key to John's house that he gave her a while back. AJ didn't even think John remembered giving her the key, because it was so long ago, but he originally only gave it her so she could go and tend to his plants while he went on a tour overseas. She kept the key ever since.

"Hello?" AJ called out once inside the large home. There was no reply. She padded around the place, looking inside every room to see if he was in any of them, but they were all empty. Strange. He definitely said he'd be here in Boston today once he got back from LA after doing so much early promotional work for summerslam down there. So, where could he be?

AJ made herself at home for a little while by sitting on his couch and reading a magazine that was lying around, until she heard a car pull up. John must finally be home. She pulled herself off the leather furniture item and jogged over to the window to see him. Once she peered through the curtains, she instantly regretted doing so. In fact, she now regretted even coming here in the first place.

John was home. But he wasn't alone.

Nikki is with him.

She didn't know what to do with herself. AJ had never been more furious with someone in her life. He really was cheating on her, Dolph wasn't lying at all. _Oh God, poor Dolph!_ They haven't spoken in a week because of their argument that only occurred after he was being honest with her. She felt so guilty right now for him that tears were starting to prick her eyes.

AJ ran into a nearby room before John made his way into the house. She would make her appearance known, but first she had to know for sure that he was cheating on her. Who knows, perhaps they were just friends and everyone was jumping to conclusions. Dolph went round to AJ's house all the time, there was nothing unusual about that. It would be hypocritical for her to assume the worst after John's tried his hardest to be understanding about their unique friendship. But that was the thing, AJ and Dolph's relationship was unique. John never mentioned being friends with Nikki once.

She left the door to this tiny room open a little so she could peek through and see anything that was going on. John and Nikki had finally walked into the house, and through her little brown eyes, she could see Nikki making herself comfortable on the couch that AJ had been sat down on not so long ago. AJ hated Nikki so much right now. She'd never really been keen on her based on all the things Dolph had said about her when they were together, and now AJ really just wanted to rip that brown hair right from her scalp.

"Fancy some wine?" John asked her.

_Ugh, wine. _AJ thought to herself. _I thought that douchebag hardly drank alcohol anymore, especially around me because he knows I don't do drinking._

"Oh, yes please." Nikki replied. "I'd love some, thank you."

She watched John poor the alcohol with a smile plastered on his face. It annoyed her that he looked so happy. He shouldn't be happy right now, he should be feeling like the guiltiest son of a bitch for sneaking around with this woman. AJ shifted her eyes to the lady in question. Damn, she looked really pretty today. Make-up looking picture perfect, her hair nice and wavy, and she was wearing a stunning blue dress with black heels. She looked like a professional model. And here AJ was with jeans, converse, hardly any make-up on and hair tied back. No wonder he was probably cheating on her.

John sat down next to Nikki and passed her the glass of wine. The two of them were smiling like idiots and then clinked their glasses together. Why are they both so happy? Don't they realise they're pathetic liars who deserve to be miserable? AJ was so close to running out there and slapping the taste out of both of their mouths, and the only thing that was stopping her right now was because she wanted to wait and see if anything was going to happen with them. She needed good, solid proof so she could fly off the handle for a legitimate reason.

This situation was so surreal. AJ had done absolutely nothing wrong, yet she was in here hiding out, experiencing so many negative emotions that she felt like she was going to burst. The worst emotion she was feeling was guilt. Again, poor Dolph. He was being completely honest like he always has been, and she so quickly shut him down and made him feel like crap for letting her know that her boyfriend was a waste of space. AJ had some serious making up to do, and she could only hope that he could forgive her for being out of order. She really needed her best friend right now, more than ever.

John and Nikki were talking to each other about something; AJ wasn't really sure what it was about. They looked so cosy together, occasionally laughing at something that the other said. As far as AJ was concerned, they could choke on their disgusting wine and go to hell.

Suddenly, all AJ's worst fears came to fruition in one quick action initiated by John. He placed his glass on the coffee table and leaned over to kiss Nikki. AJ watched them begin to make out through tear filled eyes. They were really doing this. He was literally cheating on her right here while AJ was in the same building. And this wasn't the first time, this must have been a long and drawn out affair. The raw general manager didn't know whether to break down and cry or let out a long and overdue scream for being walked all over.

Somehow, AJ couldn't tear her eyes away. It was painful to watch them practically eating each other's faces off, but it was just so unbelievable. They were actually enjoying this. Lying to her, cheating, sneaking around, they were enjoying it all. How could someone do that and feel good about it?

John stopped for a moment to put down Nikki's glass next to his, and then he went right back to kissing her, his hands roaming over her body. That's when AJ completely lost it. She was a ticking time bomb, and now was the time for her to explode.

"HOW _DARE _YOU DO THIS TO ME, YOU LYING PIG!" AJ yelled as she dashed out of the room. "I TRUSTED YOU, YOU ABSOLUTE ASSHOLE!"

"AJ, what the hell are you doing here?!" John shouted out as he pulled away from Nikki and jumped up off the couch. Nikki got up too, looking shocked beyond belief to find out that they've been caught.

"You're here cheating on me with this _slut_ and all you're going to ask is why I'm here?" AJ spat out her words with such venom and shot a glare between both Nikki and John. "I was here to surprise you because I haven't seen you all week, but it looks like I'm the one who was in for the surprise, wasn't I, John?_"_

AJ shook her head and started to make her way over to the door. She couldn't deal with this, and before she really lost the plot, she had to get out of here. John ran over to where she was to stop her.

"No, AJ don't leave okay, this isn't what… look I'm sorry alright, Nikki is-"

AJ cut off his stammering with a hard, vicious slap. As she stuck him across the face, she heard Nikki squeal. Good. AJ really hoped it hurt her to know that her precious fancy man had been hurt, and hopefully it made a lasting mark.

"We are _done._" She told him in a low and cold voice. "Don't ever speak to me again. I hope you have a nice life with her, and regret ever crossing me, you bastard."

AJ rushed out of the house, tears finally streaming down her face, and once she got inside her car, she started to full on cry. The pain inside her was so brutal, how the hell was she supposed to leave this place when she could barely see anything in front of her?

She tried to calm herself down after quite a few minutes of sobbing. Her thoughts trailed back to Dolph again, and how she needed to desperately apologise about everything. She pulled out her phone and with her shaky hands; she clicked on his name and pressed call.

_"Hi, this is Dolph, sorry I can't come to the phone right now, but please leave a message after the beep. Thanks!"_

Voicemail. He might be dodging her calls. She had to go find him and sort this out in person.

* * *

Today has been one of the most stressful and emotional days of AJ's life. And it was supposed to be her day off, away from all of the stress. She called Dolph so many times that she'd literally lost count, and he never answered once. Maybe he was avoiding her, and she really couldn't blame him, but he was going to talk to her eventually, and she needed to say sorry for not believing in him.

All day, AJ had been trying to track down where he was. His neighbour in phoenix had said that he left his home yesterday, so he wasn't there. Luckily, she knew that a bunch of the WWE superstars were staying in a hotel in LA for summerslam, and she'd texted Zack to see if Dolph was one of them. Zack had told her that he was staying in the room next door to his, and let her know which room it was. AJ had booked herself a room here too, but wasn't scheduled to arrive here until Friday to check in, so it was a good job that the hotel receptionist was a fan of WWE and allowed her to have the keys early.

AJ threw all of her luggage that she'd quickly picked up from home into the room, and made sure she at least looked half decent before going to find Dolph. She had to try and make it look like she hasn't spent the whole day crying, even though she has.

She walked speedily down the corridors of the hotel until she got to room 206 which according to Zack, was Dolph's room. She hesitated to knock. What if he didn't want to see her? It was half 11 at night, he might be tired from the travel and not want to see anybody. And what if he was still angry with her for what happened last week, and they ended up arguing? She'd already lost John for good today, she couldn't really bear to lose Dolph as well.

AJ shook her head from these thoughts and quickly banged her small fist against the door. With every moment that she was waiting out here in the hall, her heart started to race a little faster. This would be the first time in a week that she's properly spoken to him, and she was nervous. It was odd because Dolph was usually the person that she was least nervous around, and who made her feel the most comfortable, but with everything, it made her feel like a little school girl on her way to talk to the principal.

She heard his footsteps from inside the room, and then the door swung open. He was smiling at first, as if he was laughing at something going on before he saw her, but when he realised who was standing in front of him, he suddenly looked shocked. Well, he wouldn't be shocked to know that she wanted to talk to him if he'd have actually answered his phone.

"AJ." He finally muttered. "AJ, what are you doing here?"

"Hi, I know it's getting pretty late and you didn't expect to see me, but Zack told me you were staying here tonight."

Dolph looked at her rather quizzical, and she honestly didn't have a clue what he was thinking.

"Okay, so Zack blew my cover, huh?" He joked.

AJ laughed nervously and then suddenly everything went serious between them again. Only now did she realise that he was standing before her with nothing but his pants on. Dolph was shirtless, which was kind of… odd. She let her eyes wander down to his perfectly sculpted body and it dawned on her that she'd never paid attention to just how attractive his physique is, well, how attractive _he _is. She always knew he was a typically good looking guy, but somehow, he looked better than ever. Maybe this was because she saw him as a friend, and because she had been wrapped up in a relationship with John for the past six months, but now, his attractiveness was really screaming out to her.

"So erm, why are you here?" Dolph asked, snapping AJ out of her thoughts.

"Oh yeah, sorry, erm… I've had the craziest day ever, and I wanted to apologise for everything and let you know that-"

"Dolph, who's at the door?"

That sentence came from a female inside of the hotel room. Dolph wasn't alone in here. He must have hooked up with someone. This is the second time today she's caught a man in her life with another woman.

"It's just AJ, Lay."

_Wait a minute… Lay? Who was Lay? It couldn't be-_

Just as AJ was thinking about who this 'Lay' person was, her instant suspicions were confirmed when Layla, the popular British WWE diva, came to the door wearing nothing but Dolph's t-shirt.

"Oh, hey, AJ." She said as she wrapped her arms around Dolph's waist. "Fancy seeing you here."

* * *

**So, Layla and Dolph huh? Before anyone gets mad about the addition of Layla, it is being done for a good reason, trust me. And a little extra drama in a fic never hurt anybody. Anyway, I'll try to get another chapter up some time soon to clear up some things. Hope you enjoyed reading! :)**


	12. Chapter 12

**Thanks to everyone who has reviewed and I hope that the addition of Layla doesn't make anyone too mad. Hope you enjoy this chapter!**

* * *

**Thursday 16****th**** August**

"Layla? Oh wow, erm… I… didn't expect to see you here." AJ nervously laughed and tried to plaster on a smile, but it must have been completely obvious that the smile was fake. She knew that Dolph would have no problem being able to see through the falseness of it.

AJ was genuinely shocked by this. Dolph and… _Layla._ Something about seeing them together made AJ unhappy to say the least. Not that she had anything against Layla at all, she didn't. AJ liked Layla, even though she didn't know her all that well, but she's always had the impression that she was a nice woman. And Dolph seemed happy to have her by his side. It's just that this relationship, if that's what it was, brought up a lot of questions that didn't sit right with her.

How long had this been going on for? How long has Dolph liked Layla in _that_ way? When was he planning on telling AJ about this?

AJ wished that Layla wasn't here so that she could spend time with Dolph, and it made her feel so selfish. She'd been through a painful experience, not just today, but for the past week, and she could really use her friend to chat to for a few hours in the middle of the night, but it's not like she could now that Layla was attached to his hip. AJ somehow felt bitter seeing her here. And whatever happened to Dolph saying he was going to stay single for a while?

"I guess I could say the same thing about you too AJ." Layla laughed. "Anyway, it was nice seeing you here. Dolph, I'm going back to bed. Hurry back soon."

Layla leaned up to Dolph and placed a kiss on his lips. AJ actually felt so odd at seeing them be this way that she had to turn her head away. She felt like throwing up. Or punching her fist through a wall, one or the other, she really couldn't work out how she truly felt about all of this.

Dolph watched Layla walk back towards the bedroom and then he turned to face AJ again. "I'm sorry about that, I've been meaning to tell you. But uh, didn't you say you had something to tell me?"

"How long have you two been sleeping together?" AJ asked sternly, completely disregarding his previous question. Dolph knew what AJ was like when it came to asking completely blunt questions, so for her to come out and ask how long they've been sleeping together didn't even phase him.

"About a week. I uh, didn't tell you because I wasn't sure if we were okay or not, so it felt kind of weird to just come up to you and say 'oh hey, guess what, Layla and I have started seeing each other'."

AJ simply nodded in response instead of replying with words. She didn't know what to say about all of this without being harsh. She couldn't lie to him and say she supported whatever was going on between them right now, because in all honesty, she didn't. Not one single bit. The relationship seemed to random and spontaneous, and AJ was getting quite sick of Dolph having meaningless relationships when she knew that deep down, he wanted someone who he could have something special with. This wasn't it. This thing with Layla screamed meaningless, just like all the other ones.

"So, AJ?" Dolph said, breaking the silence that had formed between them. "Was there something you wanted to tell me?"

_You mean besides the fact that you were absolutely right, my boyfriend is a lying pig, I caught him red handed today, and the reason why I'm here is to beg for you forgiveness and apologise profusely?_

"Oh, it's nothing really. I just came here to apologise about last week and let you know that I don't like us being mad at each other."

She didn't tell him. She couldn't. He was busy with the new woman in his life, it's not like she could unload her personal problems onto him now. And she knew that if she told Dolph about all of this stuff with John that he would drop everything on a dime and spend hours talking to her about it, but she couldn't be that selfish. Well, in fact, maybe he wouldn't drop everything for her. She certainly didn't expect him to be with Layla tonight, maybe he's full of surprises and he wouldn't even care.

"I don't like us being mad at each other either," He told her "So yeah, we're okay AJ. I'm not gonna hold a grudge on my best friend now, am I?"

AJ giggled slightly. "Alright then. I guess I'll let you get back to Layla. See you later, Dolph."

Dolph softly smiled at her and then shut the door once he saw AJ start to head down the hall. AJ plodded along the long corridor slowly with her head bowed down so she was staring at the unusual circular pattern of the carpet. She thought that she had gotten all of her tears out already today, but it felt as if she just wanted to cry a flood of tears, and she didn't even know why.

What was bothering her about this new Dolph and Layla relationship?

"Hey AJ, wait up a sec."

AJ turned around to see Zack come out of his hotel room and over towards her. He must have heard the whole exchange between them in the hall.

"Zack, I was just planning on going to bed." AJ told him, trying to avoid any type of conversation between them. This had been one of the worst days she had ever experienced, and crawling into bed and crying herself to sleep seemed like the only thing in the world that she wanted to do right now.

"Come on girl, I heard what happened just now, I can't just let you go back to your room without talking to you about all of this."

"Yeah, well… if you had given me a little heads up about Dolph and Layla being an item before I went over to his room at almost midnight, that would have been a big help." She said.

"Look at you AJ," Zack said, gesturing towards her, "You're on the verge of tears. Is seeing Layla with Dolph that big of a deal to make you want to cry?"

"No, that's not… I don't know, maybe, I..." AJ babbled. "It's just been such a bad day today, it really is one thing after another, and to see Dolph with some random woman after he pretty much promised me he was going to stay single for a while has just been the perfect ending to a crappy day."

"Okay, let me walk you back to your room and we'll talk about this along the way, because these walls are pretty thin and for all we know, Dolph's listening to this conversation." Zack told her in a hushed voice. He put his arms around her to guide her down the hall and AJ wiped the tears that have built up in the corners of her eyes.

AJ isn't anywhere near as close to Zack as what Dolph is, which is odd considering how they're both Dolph's closest friends. But it was nice to have him here for her in her time of need. She couldn't help but wish it was Dolph here instead though.

"So tell me, why has it been such a crappy day for you?" He asked her while pressing the button for the elevator.

"I don't know whether Dolph told you about everything with John and Nikki that he saw, but… I caught them together today and I left John."

Zack looked down at her, slightly shocked by her revelation. "Wow, that is pretty crappy. Does Dolph know about this?"

"No, erm… that's actually why I went to go see him tonight, but of course, he was with Layla, so I didn't want to unload all of my problems onto him when he's clearly happy right now." AJ said to him.

The elevator door opened, so the two of them walked inside and AJ pressed the button for floor 5 of the hotel. "But when Dolph finds out about this John thing, he's gonna be mad that you didn't tell him sooner."

"I called him countless times today to let him know, and was about to tell him tonight but he was busy, so he can be mad all he wants, I've got good enough reasons." She replied.

Zack chuckled at her response, but as they were waiting to get to AJ's floor, it became silent in the small enclosed space. It could be because Zack and AJ aren't that familiar with each other to know what to say, or because Zack wasn't the best at trying to make a sad woman happy. AJ pinned it down to being both.

"I feel so guilty." AJ broke the silence, and then the elevator door opened.

"Why's that?"

"All Dolph was doing last week when we had that argument was being honest, and I refused to believe him. He's my best friend Zack, I should have believed him over that dirtbag, but I didn't want to even think for a moment that I was being cheated on. If I had have listened to Dolph in the first place, I wouldn't have had to witness John and Nikki together today, and Dolph would have been able to come to me and tell me about Layla without feeling awkward."

Zack was at a loss of words to say to her again. He was actually the main reason for Dolph and Layla getting together last week, because if it wasn't for him telling Dolph that he had to move on from AJ and find someone else, they wouldn't be a thing now.

"Don't worry about any of that AJ, you know Dolph, he adores you so he'll put all of that in the past and you guys can move on from this."

"But I'm not sure I can move on from this" AJ looked up at him. "I don't know how to stop feeling so guilty, and I'm not sure how I can handle seeing Dolph with Layla."

AJ got out her room key as the two of them finally approached her room and Zack looked down at AJ with confusion. "Why is this Dolph and Layla thing bothering you so much, AJ?" He asked. "I mean, Dolph was a single guy, what's the big deal if he wants to date Layla?"

She tried to find the right words to say that didn't make her sound like a bitter and jealous woman. She didn't fully know herself why she had such a problem with this new relationship, but nothing about it seemed okay and she just wished that none of this was going on.

"Honestly, I'm not sure." She stated. "It might have something to do with how I'm tired of seeing him bounce from relationship to relationship, or it might be the selfish part of me that could really use my best friend right now without him being occupied with one of my colleagues. There is probably tons of reasons Zack, but at the end of the day, this thing between them feels wrong."

"Why is it wrong?" He challenged her. "Yeah, he may have been bouncing from relationship to relationship, but maybe this one will work out. He wants a lasting relationship with someone AJ, and Layla might be it."

AJ started to cackle at what Zack was saying. "Oh please, you know as well as I do that this is just going to be another disaster like what Sarah was."

"AJ, you've only seen them together once just now, but I've seen them together a lot more than you." Zack started to turn a lot more serious. "I know they've only been dating a week, but they both seem happy with each other, and if you're going to be judgemental and selfish about this, then I think you should stay away from Dolph for a while."

She looked down at the floor and more guilt was rising up inside of her. AJ started to realise that she was being pessimistic about this, and she should get to see what Dolph and Layla are like as a couple before making assumptions on whether it's going to be another failed love interest for him. That's what a best friend should do, no matter how bitter she feels about seeing them together.

"You're right Zack. I am being judgemental. Thanks for walking me back, good night." AJ slipped inside of her room and shut the door before Zack could even say good night back to her.

She let her head bang against the door. It was official; this was _the_ worst day of her life. Everything had been turned upside down, and in the space of one day, she had become single and alone. Did she really deserve that?

AJ trudged over to her bed, took off her black chucks and flopped down onto it.

The image of John kissing Nikki was stuck in her head. So was the image of Dolph kissing Layla. It was slightly strange that she wasn't sure which one hurt her the most.

She turned to her side to try and fall asleep, despite still being decked out in clothes. Her phone buzzed on the bedside table. She cursed under her breath that someone was trying to contact her when she desperately wanted to go to sleep, and she hoped more than anything that it wasn't John sending her a text. She was deadly serious when she said she didn't want to talk to him again.

It wasn't from John. The text was from Dolph.

_'Hey, so seeing you tonight was kind of awkward. I don't know why, but I know that you have something you need to tell me, I can tell because I know you more than anyone. How about you meet me in the hotel restaurant in the morning for breakfast so we can have a chat? I'll meet you at 9 x'_

A chat. That's what he wanted to have. A discussion over breakfast where they would talk about cheating ex-boyfriends and new British girlfriends. AJ simply couldn't wait.

A single tear rolled down the side of AJ's face, and gentle sobs followed. She did plan on crying herself to sleep, and it looked like that was exactly what she was going to do.


	13. Chapter 13

**Friday 17****th**** August**

AJ's eyes were transfixed on the stairs in the hotel lobby. From her seat in the restaurant that she had been sitting down in for the past ten minutes, she had a good view of the lobby area, and was patiently waiting to see Dolph make his way down those stairs.

She was nervous, and unsure of why those nerves were even there. Ever since the argument, she's felt on edge around him. Even thinking about him made her feel weird inside, something she'd never experienced before. Dolph was someone who knew her more than anybody else in the world, and also someone who made her feel the most comfortable, but with their distance from each other as of late, it felt like he was a stranger to her. That needed to be fixed.

AJ took a few sips from her coffee that had just arrived at her table, and then she saw Dolph make his way down the stairs. He looked happy. Big toothy grin plastered onto his face, happier than she'd seen him in a while. Was that because of Layla or because AJ and him had stopped fighting? Or both? Maybe this chat over breakfast would bring some answers to that question.

Dolph spotted her, and somehow the big toothy grin became even wider and he walked a little faster over to her table. She got up and hugged him, something they usually did whenever they had breakfast together, and they have done that many times over. Something about him was different. He smelled different. He smelled… _gorgeous._ It's not like he didn't smell good before, but this new scent exuding from his body was utterly divine. She almost didn't want to pull away from their friendly embrace.

"You smell weird." AJ blurted out as they both sat down in their chairs.

Dolph guffawed in response and then nodded. "Yeah, I thought I'd try out something new. It's CK Shock, and I think based off the positive feedback from people, I made a good choice to change it. What, don't you like it?"

"No, I love it, it smells great." She replied. "I guess I'm just so used to the cologne you used to wear, it kinda smells weird, but I'll get used to it."

"Damn, I am starving." Dolph said, changing the subject. The buffet table across the room caught his eye. "I'm gonna go get something to eat, you gonna come up with me?"

"No, I'm not really hungry this morning. I'm only in the mood for coffee."

Dolph smiled at her and then headed over to the buffet table to grab some food. AJ turned her head to the side and watched him. He was dressed so nicely, in his blue Kent state shirt, black trousers and converse. He used to only wear Nike sneakers before he met AJ, but it's easy to tell that she influenced him to switch to her signature shoe brand. She loved the way he dressed. So smart casual. Her thoughts drifted off to John and the clothes that he wore. Forever in jorts, and it always annoyed her. She should have known that the relationship wouldn't have worked out with him, there were so many little things that got on her nerves.

Ziggler came back over to the table with a full plate of food and digged straight into eating. AJ sat there, looking at him, waiting for him to say something. The whole point of having breakfast together today was for them to have a 'chat', and he's the one who wanted it so surely he has some things that he wants to say to her.

"Dolph?" AJ spoke up, "Didn't you want to talk to me about something?"

"Oh, yeah, of course I did." He paused to chew on some bacon. "So, the first thing I wanted to talk to you about is Layla."

AJ took in a deep breath to prepare herself for this. All night she had barely been able to sleep, thinking about how she was going to handle the new relationship that Dolph was now in. In her mind, there were two ways she could go about things. She could either express all of the reasons why she thinks that Dolph is making a mistake dating someone within the company who she was sure that he barely had talked to before dating, and how she knows that he wants something more than that. Or, she could bite her tongue, get to know Layla a bit more before being so judgemental, and support whatever he chooses to do in this relationship.

She ultimately chose the latter. It was something that a best friend should do.

"I really wanted to tell you about myself and Layla at an appropriate time, not having you find us together in our hotel room. Like I told you last night, we started dating about a week ago and so far, it's been great being with her."

Something about what he had just said made her stomach drop. A similar feeling she got when she knew for definite that John was cheating on her. All instincts were telling her to hate this thing with Layla. Yes, Dolph said he was happy, but it all seemed too much like his other failed romances. From what she knew of Layla, she wasn't anything like Dolph. Sure, AJ and Dolph had their differences and they somehow made an amazing friendship from that, but this was not a friendship, this was a real relationship that was developing. AJ was so scared that he was going to be left with his heart broken yet again, and would be the one having to be there for him while he's moping around.

Despite all of this, AJ smiled at him. It wasn't really a fake smile to cover up all the negativity she was feeling. It was just a smile, an honest one, one that stemmed from being able to see him happy.

"Well then," She started out. "I'm happy that you're happy, Dolph. I just hope that this is good for you, because I thought you were dead set on staying single for a while."

"I was going to, I really was. But last week I guess I was bummed out from our argument, and I went over to stay at Zack's and he suggested that I at least try to get back out there and see if I can find someone. That's when we ran into Layla, and things took off from there." He told her.

_Zack Ryder. I should have known he would be behind this new blossoming romance. _

"Okay. Well like I said, I'm happy that you're happy."

AJ picked up her drink and held it close to her mouth and blew on it to cool it down. "So, what about your boyfriend then? How is John?" Dolph asked while playing around with the food on his plate, stuffing another piece of bacon into his mouth.

She paused for a moment and stared at him intently. "Single." She told him.

Dolph almost choked on his food and then his eyes widened after hearing AJ say the word 'single'.

"…What?" Dolph managed to say after a brief period of silence.

"You were right," AJ sighed. "I caught John cheating on me yesterday with Nikki, so I broke up with him. I did come to your room last night to tell you something like you suspected, and that was it."

Both pairs of eyes were locked on each other's and she could tell that he had so many questions that he was dying to ask about all of this. "Why didn't you tell me last night, AJ? I can't believe this, are you alright?"

"I'm okay, and hey, I tried to tell you all through yesterday. I must have called you at least ten times but you weren't answering, and then when I got to your room last night, you were with Layla so…" AJ tried to shrug it off like it wasn't that big of a deal, but Dolph thought differently.

"Seriously, so what if I was with Layla, you should have told me last night, AJ." He told her, the concern etched on his face for everyone around to see. "Tell me exactly what happened."

"Basically, I went over to his house yesterday because I knew he'd be back from LA," She started to tell him. "And after what you told me, I had my doubts about him, so I wanted to talk to him about it. So, I was in his house, and he comes home with Nikki. I'm literally hiding out in a nearby room to where they are, and they start drinking wine and then made out, all while I was watching. I ran out of the room and broke things off. I managed to get a pretty wicked slap in there too. John Cena is officially inducted into the 'slapped by AJ' club."

Dolph sat back in his chair, stunned at hearing what AJ had been through. "I don't really know what to say other than that really sucks, AJ. I'm sorry I wasn't there for you."

Without even realising, a big smile had crept up on AJ's face. How could Dolph be so sweet after she refused to believe in what he was telling her last week? "Are you kidding me?" She chuckled. "You being here right now is more than enough, and besides, I just wish I hadn't have been so stubborn for thinking that I could never be cheated on and believed you sooner."

"That's in the past now," Dolph grabbed hold of AJ's hand for comfort. "I'm just sorry that I was right about all of this. I know that you were happy with John, and all I want to see is you happy."

Dolph gave her a delicate smile and in ways unknown, it managed to calm any nerves she previously held or any sadness she thought she felt about her current situation. How did he do that? His eyes were currently a majestic shade of blue and they were sparkling in the light from the sun. It was actually hard for her to tear her eyes away from his, but when she felt his thumb start to glide over hers, that's when she looked down at their hands and was forced to break eye contact.

This isn't right. They were holding hands in a restaurant at breakfast and have just been staring into each other's eyes. Best friends aren't supposed to do that, whatever is going on here would usually be something that a couple would do, since when do best friends notice that the other's eyes are sparkling and hold hands? The sound of John's voice telling her that he thought they were too close was playing in her head, and it started to dawn on her. They _are_ way too close. How in the world does Layla feel about their friendship? Is she understanding enough to accept that he left her in their hotel room just to spend breakfast with AJ? Or will she be like John and question their feelings for each other?

And what were their feelings for each other? AJ certainly knew that she didn't mind being like this with Dolph at all. In fact, she rather liked being this close with him. She likes the way his eyes are sparkling. She likes the feel of his thumb running over hers to comfort her. She likes the way he dresses, the way he smells, and damn it, she _knows_ he's one of the most attractive men in WWE today.

"AJ, I'm sorry, I wanna keep talking to you but I promised Layla I would take her out today, so I better get going."

Dolph's words brought her right back to reality, and suddenly she didn't feel so good anymore. Maybe it was because he pulled his hands away from her.

"Okay, sure" The two of them got up out of their seats. "I guess I'll see you later then, Ziggy."

Before AJ could even finish her sentence, Dolph wrapped his arms around her frame for another hug. She stiffened at first, not quite sure whether she wanted to melt into his embrace, but gave in anyway. That new cologne he was wearing invaded her senses again, and that was it. She didn't want to let him go. Forget Layla, AJ could gladly stay in this place and hug him all day. It was as if she needed him right now, like no other person would be able to support her. She didn't want him to leave so he could go back to his girlfriend.

"I'll make sure to check my phone today, so if you want to talk at any point, don't hesitate to, okay?" He whispered into her ear, still locked in the hug with her.

She wriggled out of his arms and then gently nodded at him. He winked at her, and then walked away back to his hotel room to go and get Layla.

AJ sank back down into her chair, staring at the place where he was previously sat. What were these thoughts going through her head? Were these just crazy thoughts that were appearing because she is newly single and recovering from a bad break up, or did she just suddenly find him incredibly attractive? Well, she knew she now found him _too_ attractive now as a matter of fact.

AJ knew that she loved Dolph, he was her rock, and he was literally one of the greatest guys she'd ever known. Why wouldn't she start to question how she truly felt about him? So many women who know him practically throw themselves at his feet, maybe AJ was just finally seeing what they all saw. But… that couldn't happen, surely. Best friends, that's what they were, and feelings ruined friendships. She just couldn't look at him in that way.

But she already was.

She started to nervously drag her fingers through her hair, needing something to do with herself to take her mind off things. AJ needed someone to talk to. Someone who could perhaps help with her problems. The only downside of this is, the person that she would usually go to is currently on his way back to his room to spend time with his new girlfriend… and he was also the reason why she felt so confused.

AJ picked up her phone that was sitting on the table and scrolled through her contacts until she found the name of the person who she thought might be able to help.

"Hi, it's AJ. I uh, I know I must be the last person who you would expect to call, but I need someone to talk to."


	14. Chapter 14

**Friday 17****th**** August**

"Come on in, AJ."

AJ timidly walked into the hotel room feeling just as anxious as she felt with Dolph earlier. The person that she had called not so long ago had been Kaitlyn, her former BFF who she thought that she'd never talk to again. Much to her surprise, Kaitlyn was more than willing to talk to her, even after everything they'd been through.

Just over a year ago, right around the time that Dolph and AJ started to become friends, there had been some bitterness between the two chickbusters. They were having petty arguments over little things that weren't even worth mentioning, and they just couldn't seem to get along. AJ put it down to them being tired from their hectic schedules, but they had never even bothered to salvage the problem. Then one day, they had the biggest argument imaginable over Kaitlyn saying some things behind AJ's back to one of the other divas. AJ knew that the things that were said weren't even that bad, but at the end of the day, she was her best friend, she didn't like things being said about her, and it all spiralled out of control. It lead to AJ turning to Dolph, and the rest is history.

"I know it must have been pretty weird of me calling you up wanting to talk, but I… I don't really have that many people to talk to." AJ mumbled, not directly looking at Kaitlyn because she wasn't sure how she felt about talking to her. The phone call that they shared lasted for only about a minute, and Kaitlyn only really said that if AJ wanted to, she could come up to her room to talk instead of on the phone.

"I wasn't really expecting you to call, but this has been long overdue," She said back to her, AJ now turning to face Kaitlyn. "I can't believe the two of us have been so stubborn to barely say a word to each other for a year, unless it was for TV, obviously."

"I wish I could take it all back. I'm so sorry for everything, Kait." AJ was now close to tears.

"Hold up a minute, are you about to cry on me?" Kaitlyn walked over to AJ's side and the two of them sat down on the nearby couch. The self-proclaimed hybrid diva put her arm around AJ's shoulder, and it felt comfortable to be here with Kaitlyn like this for AJ. She thought it would feel weird, but maybe it was because she felt so lost and confused right now, she really needed her.

"It's just been such an awful week or so. John and I have broken up, Dolph's got his new girlfriend, I have no one now, the only people who still want to talk to me are my family, and they live in Puerto Rico. It's stupid how it takes realising that I'm practically all alone right now to gather up the courage to come and talk to you again."

"Look, just forget about what happened between us for now, okay? We'll talk about that later. What do you mean you and John have split up?"

"He's been sneaking around with Nikki Bella," AJ grimaced. "I caught him with her yesterday. I'm so dumb though Kait, Dolph found out that he was cheating on me and when he told me about it, I refused to believe him. Although he says he doesn't care about that anymore, but I dunno, I saw him earlier and something feels different. I feel like I've hurt Dolph, and that sucks more than anything."

"Nikki Bella?" Kaitlyn was shocked. "Of all the women, why would he choose to cheat on you with Nikki Bella?"

AJ started picking at the cushion that was by her side and chuckled under her breath. "I don't know, she must have something special about her, Dolph went out with her after all."

Kaitlyn took notice of how AJ kept changing the subject back to Dolph. "So wait a minute, you said you're alone now, right, so Dolph isn't there for you anymore? You mentioned a girlfriend… what's that got to do with anything?"

Her mind wandered back to seeing Layla in Dolph's t-shirt and then leaning up to kiss him. It really shouldn't pain her as much as it did to replay that image in her head. "He started dating someone last week. Well, it's not just someone. You know her because she works with us. It's Layla."

Kaitlyn withdrew her arm from around AJ's shoulder and got up from the couch to walk around. _"Layla?" _She seemed more shocked than finding out about Nikki. "Layla and I have been really good friends over the past few months, I can't believe she hasn't told me about this yet."

"She didn't tell you?"

"No, she hasn't said a word."

AJ let out a small laugh. If Layla was good friends with Kaitlyn, wouldn't it make perfectly good sense for her to mention that she is dating Dolph? Perhaps Layla wasn't as in to Dolph as it seemed. Maybe she's ashamed of being with him. But, why? He's perfect. At least, that's what AJ was thinking now. She quickly berated herself for thinking such a thing of her best friend. These crazy thoughts were still rolling around inside her brain, and she couldn't seem to shake them. But AJ was sure that she was just lonely after breaking up with John and they would disappear soon.

"Dolph didn't tell me about it, I actually caught them together in his hotel room last night, so maybe they both just weren't up to telling people yet. They have only been dating a week." AJ shrugged.

"You caught them together?" Kaitlyn raised her eyebrow. "What, like, you caught them having sex?"

"Oh God, no!" She scrunched her nose up at the suggestion. "I think if I'd have walked in on them having sex, I would have been scarred for life. No, I just went to his room and he was shirtless, and Layla was wearing his t-shirt. I don't know whether they had just… you know what, I don't want to even think about it."

The way AJ was acting when she talked about Layla and Dolph seemed so unusual to Kaitlyn. He was supposed to be her best friend, wasn't AJ supposed to be more supportive of their new relationship rather than shying away and looking disgusted at thinking about them being intimate? Kaitlyn went to go and sit back down next to AJ, this time fully turning her body towards her.

"So, what was the relationship like between you and Dolph, you know, before Layla? I mean, I know you guys were best friends and all, everyone on the roster knows that, but can you just explain to me how your friendship was?"

"It was different between me and Dolph than it was to me and you." AJ started telling her, now facing fully towards Kaitlyn too. "Me and you, we were really close, had geeky jokes and had crazy obsessions with unicorns."

Kaitlyn snickered at her bringing up their unicorn obsession. It was a cute little thing that they had together, whenever they used to travel with one another, they would stop at gas stations and pick up anything unicorn or sometimes pony related. It was just one of the many weirdly wonderful aspects of their friendship. She missed that, they both did.

"…And our friendship was great." AJ continued. "But with me and Dolph, it was just like we perfectly fit even though I don't think anyone would expect us too. In some ways, we're polar opposites, but we appreciate our differences and have actually come to like the things we didn't used to agree on. He's also so caring and passionate, not that you would think it from knowing him at first, but he really is. He's always been there for me no matter what, and he's basically just been my rock over the past year, and I needed that after we stopped talking to each other. Not to mention he's also one of the funniest people I've ever met in my life."

Kaitlyn observed the way AJ acted the whole way through her little explanation, and a little smile crept up on her face in doing so. AJ's eyes said a thousand words, and the Houston native knew that there are more underlying feelings that the raw general manager was keeping quiet about. They may have barely spoken in a year, but it didn't mean that Kaitlyn didn't know her like the back of her hand. She was going to get her to admit it too.

"I don't really speak to Dolph that often, but he sounds like a great man, AJ." Kaitlyn told her.

"Yeah, he really is."

"So, I'm not really sure why you're acting like Dolph isn't there for you anymore. Why is him being with Layla such a problem?"

AJ bowed her head down a little so she was looking away from her. The thought of Dolph no longer being around made her stomach feel queasy. "She's not the whole problem. Like I said before, I didn't believe Dolph when he told me John was cheating, and it led to a bust up between us, and we didn't talk for a week. We just had breakfast together now and he says we're okay, but he didn't even stay for longer than five minutes because he said he had to go and be with Layla. I don't know, I think he's either still mad about everything so he doesn't want to spend time with me, or he just would rather spend time with Layla instead. It's one or the other, and I feel like maybe I'm starting to really resent Layla because she's taking up his time. That might make me selfish but-"

"It doesn't make you selfish." Kaitlyn assured her. "It makes you human, AJ. By the sounds of it, you guys were unbelievably close; it's natural to feel a little bitter when that gets taken away."

"But it's wrong of me to be that way," AJ said glumly. "I've been with John for the past six months, and because of that, I wasn't around Dolph as much, so it is selfish of me to hate the fact that he's got a new girlfriend who he could end up being with for a long time."

"You were with John for _that_ long?" Kaitlyn asked.

"Yeah, I was, why?"

"Did you love him?"

A simple question. Did AJ love John? She was with him for a long period of time, surely this question shouldn't be so hard for her to answer. But it was. Now that she thought about it, neither of them ever said to each other those three little words once, 'I love you.' They were in a relationship, how could it not have even crossed her mind to think about how strongly she felt about him? She cared about him a lot, but AJ knew it wasn't love.

"I don't know. I don't… I don't think I did. Wow, I've never even thought about it. How bad is that?"

"It's a little bad, but it's not like it matters now. He's a low life who was cheating on you, it's a good job you didn't love him, otherwise this whole thing would be a lot worse." Kaitlyn smiled gently to try and make AJ feel better.

"You're right. Although I've technically just wasted six months with him, which is depressing to even think about."

The two of them went quiet for a while, and AJ was still playing with the corners of the cushion, trying not to allow those thoughts of Dolph to creep up again. She couldn't help it though. It was time for Kaitlyn to get AJ to admit how she really felt about the show off.

"So, I'm just going to go right ahead and come out with it," Kaitlyn spoke up and peaked AJ's attention. "I like Layla a lot, and maybe this is bad on her for me to be asking you this, but when the hell are you going to tell Dolph that you're in love with him?"

If AJ had have been eating some food right then, she was sure she would have choked on it, that's how shocked she was to hear Kaitlyn say those words. _Love?_ _What was Kaitlyn smoking? _

"In love with him? Kait, I can't even believe you would suggest that!" AJ cried.

"Oh come on, don't even deny it! I can see it in your eyes alone, AJ."

She folded her arms across her chest and shook her head. "You're wrong Kait, so unbelievably wrong."

"Am I though?" She challenged. "Let's look at the facts shall we? You were never in love with John, and I'm putting that down to you actually having feelings for Dolph. You don't even seem as upset about John cheating on you as I'd expect you to be, you're more upset about Dolph being with Layla. You're obviously jealous of Layla, and why? Because I believe that you're in love with him, and you would rather be with him instead of her."

"That's completely absurd!" AJ wailed, her voice getting increasingly louder. "Love is such a strong thing to suggest, I love him as a friend, nothing more than that."

"I think you're just lying to yourself. Look, we may have not been close recently, and I am not going to argue with you about this, but I think I still know you pretty well. When you were talking about your friendship with Dolph, the way you talked about him and how your face lights up… it's just like what a girl in love would be like. Oh, and also, each time I tried to talk to you about John and Nikki not so long ago, you kept changing the subject back to Dolph. That says a lot, AJ."

"But…" AJ couldn't even argue with her about this. Everything that Kaitlyn had pointed out was true, she couldn't deny that. AJ wasn't sure it actually meant she was in love with him, but maybe the thoughts that she was having weren't crazy at all, just her true feelings shining through. It all made sense, but it was hard for the geek goddess to let it all sink in.

"I can't be in love with him, Kaitlyn. He's my best friend. I don't want it to ruin things." Her voice was now barely more than a whisper, and it broke Kaitlyn's heart a little to see her so conflicted on how to feel.

Kaitlyn placed her hand on AJ's arm for comfort. "I can imagine that everything's confusing for you right now, and I get it. But if you really feel alone, I want you to know that I'm always here to talk. Always."

To hear that there was someone after all who was going to be there for her made AJ feel a lot better. It didn't mean she was less confused about everything, but it took the edge off and stopped her from feeling completely lost and without anyone.

"Does this mean we're okay now?" AJ asked hopefully.

"I want to put the past behind us, so yeah, I think we're gonna be okay. I don't know whether we're going to ever be as close as we used to be, or if I'm ever going to surpass your closeness with Dolph, but… we can give it a go at being friends again." Kaitlyn smiled at her.

"That sounds perfect."

AJ opened her arms to initiate a hug that Kaitlyn gladly accepted. They both locked their arms around each other for the first time in what felt like forever. It felt good for AJ to finally have another woman back as a true friend. She had spent far too long around just men as friends, not that many women.

She had her friend back. Now all that was left was to figure out what to do about these newly discovered feelings for Dolph.

* * *

**Thank you to everyone who leaves reviews, I appreciate it so much. I've been busy over the past few days so I'm surprised I was even able to write this chapter up. I'll try to get another one up soon!**


	15. Chapter 15

**Monday 1****st**** October**

It had been about a month and a half since the day that AJ had found John with Nikki. It seemed strange, but she didn't even miss John at all. Six months spent with someone and now it felt like it meant nothing to her. It had also been about a month and a half since AJ had found Layla and Dolph together and discovered their relationship. They were still together. By the looks of things, it was actually turning serious between them. Layla and Dolph were all over each other, particularly around AJ. Or maybe that was just how she saw things.

AJ's feelings for Dolph were still there too. Unfortunately for her, they were stronger than ever.

Each day since her talk with Kaitlyn, she thought about how she felt about him, and each day her feelings only seemed to grow. She got to see Dolph most days of the week, mainly due to being at the same WWE events, and then the rest of the time he spent it with Layla. AJ didn't even try to be closer to Layla, even though she had several opportunities. It was all just too weird for her to get close to the girlfriend of the man she might just be in love with.

She was still undecided about the whole being in love thing too.

She would probably get over these feelings if she didn't have to see Dolph so often. Whenever she was around him, it was as if a new reason popped up out of nowhere to think he's the most amazing man on the planet. He gave her butterflies in ways she had never experienced before, and it was really starting to frustrate her. She was crazy about a man that was taken, a man that was happy, and a man who was also her best friend.

If it was possible, she needed someone to switch these feelings off.

The raw GM was currently in her makeshift office waiting for raw to go live on air whilst playing on her Nintendo DS. She was a well-known gamer, and the only opportunities that she got to play on games when on the road was on her little DS, so she was getting in some time with the gaming device before she had to go out there. The sound of familiar laughter caused her to pause the game. It belonged to Dolph, so he was near the office. His laugh made her heart flutter. She hated that.

"Hey, AJ," Dolph said after bursting into the office. "How's my favourite general manager doing?"

"Are you trying to suck up to me to give you a good spot on the show, Ziggler? Because, I may have the title of general manager, but I don't actually call the shots around here."

"Oh geez, you saw through my crafty ways, boss. I'm so sorry." Dolph chuckled and then AJ stood up to give him a hug. Dolph's hugs were incomparable. His muscular arms wrapped around her tiny frame as if he didn't want to let her go, and he'd usually wrap his fingers in her hair too, and AJ loved that. Over Dolph's shoulder, AJ could see Zack standing in the doorway. He was looking at the pair rather suspiciously. What's his problem?

"So what are you two doing in here then? Don't you have matches you need to be preparing for?" AJ asked after pulling away from Dolph.

"Yes we do, I'm just in here to ask you something." Dolph smiled down at her, and AJ could have sworn her heart skipped a beat.

"Okay, what is it?"

"Wednesday night, we're all heading down to one of the local bars in Oklahoma seeing as we're all here for the tapings today and tomorrow, so I was wondering if you would like to join us."

Immediately, AJ was sceptical about who would be attending this outing in Oklahoma. Obviously Layla would be there, and God knows who else. AJ avoided being around Dolph and Layla together at all costs, and so far, she had barely seen them together, and even the few times that she had, it sucked to see them as a couple.

"Who do you mean by 'us'?" AJ asked, trying to sound as happy about this as possible.

"So far the people that are definitely coming are me, Zack, Wade, Cody, Alicia and Layla. I'm gonna ask a few others, and of course if you do come, you can ask Kaitlyn to come down. I know you two have gotten close again."

She started to mull over the invitation. As much as she wasn't up for being around Dolph and Layla together, if there were other people around to talk to and take her mind off of it, it wouldn't be as bad. At least if she did go down, it would look like she was making an attempt to be nice to his girlfriend. The thought of going to bars didn't really interest her though. "I don't know Dolph, you know bars aren't really my scene. I'll think about it and let you know though, I guess it's been a long time since a bunch of us have been out together."

"I know you don't like going out to bars because you don't drink and there's drunk people everywhere, but like you just said, it's been a really long time since we've all been together, and I really want you there, AJ." He tried to reason with her. His piercing blue eyes were pleading with hers, and it was the hardest thing in the world to try and turn him down. How did she manage to turn down his advances last year when he asked her out on a date?

"I'll think about it, Dolph." AJ smiled up at him. She briefly glanced at Zack again, and he still had that suspicious look on his face.

"Okay then," He said, and she could tell he was a little gutted that she didn't immediately agree. "Anyway, we've got a segment together tonight, we're out there with Punk, Heyman and some others. I guess I'll see you out there in about twenty minutes when the show starts, okay?"

"Okay. Oh, and try to act like you hate me out there and not let the audience know that you actually love me, okay?" AJ quipped.

Dolph laughed at her comment, and again, her heart fluttered. He turned around to leave the room, but Zack didn't budge away from the door frame to follow him.

"I'll come find you in a minute, Dolph." Zack told him, and Dolph left.

"Is there something I can help you with, Zack?" She questioned, puzzled why he's still here and why he's been staring suspiciously.

"What's the deal, AJ?"

_What's the deal? _What is he talking about?

"I'm not quite sure I know what you mean."

"What's the deal with you? There's something different with how you act around Dolph, and I've certainly noticed how you act around Layla, or at least how you act when her name is mentioned. What's up with that?"

AJ's heart started to race. Was she that obvious? Kaitlyn mentioned that her eyes were very telling, but how could it be obvious to everyone except for Dolph? "Again, I'm not quite sure I know what you mean." She decided to play it cool.

"Oh come on, don't give me that," Zack moved closer towards her. "I've been around you and Dolph quite a few times over the past month, I've seen the way you act when it comes to Layla. Every time he mentions her, you look uninterested or change the subject. Every time he suggests doing something with the two of you, you always have something better to do or 'think about it' like you've just said now."

"I think you're just reading into things a little too much." AJ tried to dismiss Zack from saying these things, but it was plain to see in his face, he had a bone to pick with AJ, and he was not going to let this go easily.

"No, reading into things too much isn't what's happening here, AJ, I know you've got a problem with her."

"Okay, so what if I have a problem with her?" She raised a voice at him. "That's just my own opinion, I don't have to like her just because she's seeing Dolph."

"You're absolutely right, but don't expect me to stand back and do nothing when I can clearly tell that you don't like her _because _she's seeing Dolph!" He shouted back, aiming to let his voice be louder than hers.

AJ rushed over to the door to close it so no one could hear the conversation that was taking place. Zack had figured it all out, and AJ didn't have a clue how the rest of this talk was going to go down.

"What makes you think that?" She tried to sound as calm as possible.

"I'm just gonna cut the BS here, do you feel something for Dolph, as in more than just a friend?"

His bluntness didn't even surprise her. She felt like she was cornered, with nowhere to escape. She couldn't lie and say she felt nothing for Dolph. Zack would find out eventually.

"Fine, you got me. Maybe I do have feelings for him. It's not a big deal." AJ shrugged her shoulders, but she could tell that it was a big deal to Zack.

"Are you kidding me? Of course it's a big deal, AJ!" He was back to raising his voice. "How long have you had feelings for him?"

"I don't know, about a month or so, I guess."

"A month? Are you sure it was only for that long, or have you had feelings for him for a lot longer than that?" Zack was being persistent, and it was annoying AJ.

"I don't know Zack, it could be a month, it could have been ever since we became friends, I don't know! I only started to realise how I felt around the time I broke up with John. What does it matter anyway, he's with Layla and he's happy."

"It matters because he has feelings for you too, AJ!"

Her eyes widened and her jaw dropped. _Did he just say… Dolph has those feelings too?_

"W-what?" That was all that AJ could manage to say. Her mouth was feeling dry now and she was in such a state of shock from Zack's revelation. She could see in the way that he was now looking ever so guilty that he regretted letting those words fly out of his mouth.

"He _did_ have those feelings, I don't know what he feels now… he's with Layla, and he's crazy about her."

"But you just said… so let me get this straight…" AJ slowly stepped closer towards Zack. "He _had _feelings for me, but never told me, and now he might not have feelings for me, just when I realise that I love…"

It was Zack's turn for his jaw to drop. AJ was about to say that she loved Dolph. She'd spent the past month and a half convincing herself that she wasn't in love with him, that they were just stupid feelings that would go away, but she almost said it. It was what she felt deep down, and she couldn't deny it any longer.

"You love him?" He asked her.

She looked down for a long period of time and couldn't bring herself to say it. AJ walked over to the couch and once she sat down, she put her face in her hands and rocked back and forth. This was exactly what she didn't want to happen. She didn't want to feel this strongly for someone, especially the one person who she desperately didn't want to mess up her friendship with. She is in love with him, but he's taken.

"AJ, look at me," Zack kneeled down in front of her. "Are you in love with Dolph?"

She withdrew her hands from her face and looked him straight in the eyes. "I think I am." She whispered and then bit her lip nervously.

"You have got to tell him."

"No, I can't, I can't do that!" She protested.

"But AJ, you can't keep it to yourself, if you feel so strongly to be in love with him, he deserves to know." Zack replied.

"Why should I?" She asked, her voice cracking. "He never told me that he had feelings for me, why should I tell him?"

"He never told you because you were with John, and then when he had a chance to be open with you about everything, you had an argument because you wouldn't believe him when he was telling the truth. He thought you hated him, so he moved on to Layla."

AJ nodded and then looked away from Zack again. "Exactly. He moved on to Layla. I'll ruin everything for him if I tell him how I feel. It doesn't matter if I have feelings for him, or if I don't like Layla… I can't be the one to ruin his happiness by messing with his head."

Zack nodded understanding how she felt. It felt awkward between the two of them after her admission of love for Dolph, and AJ was dying to get out of the room and just be anywhere but here.

"I've got to be in the opening segment… I should probably go and wait behind the curtain." She said and then got up to leave.

"AJ, hold on." Zack called out to her and she stood at the door refusing facing him. "What are you going to do now?"

The golden question. What was AJ going to do now she knew in her heart that she was in love with Dolph Ziggler?

"I'm going to get through the rest of the night, and tomorrow, and then I'm going to put on a brave face and go out with you guys on Wednesday night. I'm going to try and ignore my feelings and be a good friend, because that's what I should have been doing all along." She told him.

"Are you sure you can do that? I am all for you being a good friend to him, because he needs that, but are you really going to be okay with burying your feelings?"

"I'll be fine."

* * *

**This was really just a filler chapter and a way to get AJ to realise the intensity of her feelings to set up for the next chapter. Anyway, hope you enjoyed and I should hopefully get up another installment if I'm not too busy over the next few days. Reviews are always appreciated wink wink, nudge nudge. :) **


	16. Chapter 16

**Wednesday 3****rd**** October**

"Are you sure you're okay going in there?"

AJ turned her head to look up at Kaitlyn who had been asking her if she's going to be okay for the past hour and a half. She appreciated the sentiment of her caring about how she felt, but AJ just wanted to get this night over and done with. "I'm gonna be fine Kait, trust me. It's fricking freezing out here, so can we just go inside please?"

Kaitlyn looped her arm through AJ's, and the pair were let in by a very nice guy at the door. He probably recognized them from tv so they got to go ahead of all the other people waiting in the queue.

Once inside the club, it was everything AJ had expected it to be. It was mostly dark with a bar in the opposite corner of the entrance. There was a huge dancefloor and stage with booths and tables scattered around the place. It was 9pm, so the club was swarming with people and the music was so loud she could have sworn her eardrums burst on the way in here. She hated being in places like this, and couldn't wait for it to be over.

"Hey look, all of the guys are over there." Kaitlyn had to lean in close just so AJ could hear her, and she point over to a couple of booths near the bar that were occupied by a bunch of WWE superstars.

In one booth sat Wade Barrett, Cody Rhodes, Justin Gabriel, Eve Torres, Sheamus and Alicia Fox. In the other was Zack, some random girl who Zack had probably picked up, Dolph and Layla. How fortunate for AJ that the one with Dolph and Layla had enough space for Kaitlyn and AJ to sit down in. Damn, Dolph looked really good tonight. AJ noticed that he was wearing the pink t-shirt she bought for him last Christmas. It was one of his favourites. Knowing that brought a smile to her face, even now when all she wanted to do was go back home to Tampa.

AJ and Kaitlyn made their way over to the booth and slid in, greeting everyone else as they did so. AJ ended up sitting right next to Dolph, which made her skin feel like it was on fire when he leaned over and gave her half a hug as his way of saying hi. She noticed Layla's hand rubbing on Dolph's thigh, and it took a decent amount of self-control not to lunge across the table and smack the make-up right off Layla's face for doing so.

"So, are you two gonna get up and join us for a dance in a little bit?" Dolph asked both AJ and Kaitlyn.

"Dancing? Really?" AJ chortled. "This is coming from the guy who told me he'd rather get the holy hell beaten out of him than dance."

"Maybe I'm just in a dancing kind of mood tonight."

"You never get in the dancing kind of mood."

"Who says?"

"I say."

"Well, maybe you don't really know me that well."

"Ziggy, I think I know you better than anyone."

Dolph simply chuckled and nodded in response. Maybe AJ really did live up to her crazy persona, but she could swear that Dolph had a certain smile that only appeared when he talked to her, not with anybody else. It made her insides feel all warm and fuzzy, and that smile was perfectly displayed on his face right now. It was mesmerising.

As Dolph was about to continue his conversation with AJ, Layla squeezed his thigh to make him turn his attention to her. The two of them started to whisper into each other's ears and laugh at whatever they were saying. The sight made AJ want to throw up right then and there. Zack had just been to the bar to get AJ and Kaitlyn some drinks. As he got into the booth, he noticed Layla and Dolph all over each other, so he mouthed the words _'Are you okay?' _to AJ. It was nice to know that both Kaitlyn and Zack were concerned over how AJ was going to cope tonight, but she was really okay. It wasn't the easiest thing in the world seeing someone you love with someone else, but it was only going to be for a few hours, she could get through that.

At least, she thought that getting through these next couple of hours would be easy. That was up until the couple started making out right next to her. In the time that they have been a couple, AJ's never actually seen them kiss properly. She's only seen that quick kiss they shared on the night she discovered they were an item, every other time she could have seen them kiss, she avoided it like the plague. Her heart wrenched seeing them like this.

AJ turned her head to face Kaitlyn and she tugged on her arm to gain her attention. Once Kaitlyn turned to AJ, she instantly noticed what was taking place behind her head, and she understood straight away.

"Distract me, take my mind off of this." AJ asked her, and despite the music being so loud, Kaitlyn could tell there was an air of sadness wrapped in with her words.

"Let's go and dance."

"But I hate dancing."

"Would you rather stay and watch them eating each other's faces?"

AJ turned back to Dolph and Layla, who were still playing tonsil hockey with each other. Didn't they need to come up for air? AJ simply rolled her eyes at Kaitlyn and then mouthed the word okay, and they went off to the dance floor.

Even though Dolph was occupying the majority of AJ's thoughts, dancing with Kaitlyn in the middle of this rowdy club reminded her that not everything was bad in her life anymore. She'd assumed that Kaitlyn loathed her beyond belief, but all this time it had just been the two of them being stubborn to talk to each other, and now they were rebuilding their friendship. It made her so happy, and Kaitlyn has always been there to turn to with all of her problems concerning her feelings for Dolph. Kait said that they may never be as close as they used to be, but it was starting to feel just like old times.

The rest of the superstars got up from their booths and came over to join AJ and Kaitlyn. All of them were dancing foolishly, having a great time on one of their rare off days from work. It had been so long since a big group of superstars came out like this, and for the first time in a while, AJ felt like she was having fun. Dancing wasn't so bad, it was helping to shut out her problems for one night.

AJ was just taking in all of the fun she was having, and for a good half an hour, she was distracted from seeing Dolph and Layla together. But then they were on the dance floor also. The two of them were grinding up against each other, and for some reason, AJ was taking the sight of them dancing like this worse than the kissing.

She couldn't pinpoint what it was that made her stomach drop with seeing them like this. It was either the closeness that made her jealous beyond belief, the fact that Dolph hates dancing and here he is looking like he's enjoying it more than anything else in the world or just how she wished she was in Layla's place.

Kaitlyn noticed that AJ had stopped dancing, and then saw her looking in the direction of the couple. She grabbed hold of AJ's hands and turned her so she didn't have to look at them.

"Don't do this to yourself, just try and avoid them, okay?" Kaitlyn shouted out so AJ could hear.

"I can't just avoid them, they're everywhere I turn." She yelled back.

"Just dance, pretend like they're not here."

AJ digested what she was saying and tried to do just that, but then Dolph and Layla danced off to another area of the dance floor so AJ could see them again. She'd had enough, AJ had to get away. The brunette dodged in between all of the dancing bodies to get to the bathroom, Kaitlyn following her. Surprisingly enough, there wasn't anyone else in the ladies bathroom.

AJ stared at herself in one of the mirrors in the bathroom, and Kaitlyn came up behind her and rubbed her back comfortingly. "You doing okay buddy?" She asked softly.

"No, of course I'm not doing okay, Kait." She replied, obviously frustrated with herself. "We've been here for about half an hour, and already I feel like I want to go home and cry. How stupid was I thinking I'd be able to handle being around them like this?"

"You're not stupid for thinking that, you were being optimistic. Despite your feelings for Dolph, he's still your best friend and you wanted to be okay around the two of them."

"But I'm not okay, am I? I just want to have a crazy chick style break down and never see them together again."

"Come on girly, it's hard for you now, but you'll get used to this. Who knows, you might even nab yourself a new man to take your mind off of him."

AJ couldn't even contemplate being with another man. She'd realised that these feelings were way more than just a stupid crush on her friend, and because of that, being with someone else didn't seem possible. It was love. It had to be, she'd never felt like she had been in love with any other man before, but these feelings for Dolph were way more than anything she'd felt in her life. How could she get over the man she was in love with?

"I can't do this Kait, I can't just act like I'm okay and find some random guy, that's not me." AJ stormed off about to leave the bathroom until Kaitlyn grabbed hold of her wrist to pull her back.

"AJ, where do you think you're going?"

Tears were beginning to well up in AJ's eyes, so she refused to look back at Kaitlyn and show that she's so broken up over this. "I need some air, and I just want to be alone for a little while."

AJ continued to make her way out of the bathroom and then out of the club. As soon as the freezing cold air hit her skin, she felt like she could somewhat breathe again. Being in a confined space with those two made her feel like she was suffocating. She was taking this relationship worse than she had expected too, and she hated that it was affecting her so badly.

She walked around outside for a little while, mainly to take her mind off everything and then she leaned back against the wall of the club. Her teeth were now chattering and she was fighting back the tears. Usually, she wasn't the type of girl to cry about her love life, but everything with Dolph was making her crazy to the point where she wasn't reacting to things like normal. Did love really have to hurt this bad?

Her mind wandered off to a few nights ago when Zack told her that Dolph had feelings for her too. She didn't know whether those feelings were still there on Dolph's part, but she wished she had have known about them. She wished that she was never with John and that perhaps Dolph would have confessed his feelings to her earlier, and that it would be AJ inside the club with Dolph right now, not Layla.

Life is cruel.

AJ heard someone walking up nearby to where she was, so she turned her head to see whether it was someone she knew. It was Layla. God, she hoped that she couldn't tell that she was on the verge of crying.

"AJ, what are you doing out here in the cold?" Layla asked her.

She felt slightly cornered, and didn't know how to respond. AJ couldn't say that she was the main reason why she didn't want to be inside the club. "Well, clubs aren't really my thing and I feel kind of claustrophobic in there." She lied. "I'll be coming back inside soon, so you may as well go back inside where it's warm."

There was something about the way Layla was looking at her that didn't sit well with AJ. Her eyes were now beady and suspicious. Not a good sign. Layla then folded her arms, and her entire demeanour had switched from concerned about why AJ is outside, to deadly serious.

"I'm not going back in there until we've had a chat."

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**Quick note to say thank you to the great feedback I've been getting on this story, and also I want to say sorry for the delay in updating, I planned on putting up something on Saturday but I've been far too busy to write up a new chapter until now. Hope you enjoyed this update and I'll aim to get another one up soon!**


	17. Chapter 17

**Wednesday 3****rd**** October**

AJ's anxiety levels were at their highest peak. Layla wanted to have a chat. What about? Now, AJ wasn't really the overly religious type of girl, but she was praying to any God above that would listen that this 'chat' wasn't about Dolph and her. She couldn't have that talk, not now. She was emotional, on the verge of a break down, talking about Dolph to his girlfriend would only make things worse, and she couldn't even fathom what the outcome of that talk would be.

"A chat?" AJ smiled at Layla while talking, trying to disguise that she was scared as all hell about what she wanted to chat about. "Come on Layla, it's pretty chilly, why don't we just get back inside?"

"No, we need to talk. Now."

Layla's tone was harsh and cold. If you knew the British diva, you would know that she is the type of woman who appears to be caring, fun loving and bubbly. She never seemed to be negative or mean, and was the type of woman who was always happy no matter what. But this wasn't the Layla that AJ was used to seeing at work. This Layla was the complete opposite, and she obviously had something on her mind that made her a pissed off woman.

AJ didn't respond to Layla's demand of needing to talk right now. In her mind, she thought that perhaps if she didn't say anything, Layla would just leave. That obviously wasn't going to work.

"So, I want to talk about your little friendship with my boyfriend." Layla broke the silence.

AJ's heart rate quickened. Her teeth started chattering a little faster, not because of the cold, but because of fear. This was exactly how she didn't want this to go.

"What about it?" AJ asked.

"You two are a little too close for comfort, don't you think?"

AJ's confidence boosted a little after hearing Layla say they were too close. It irked her to always have people say that about them. No, they were not too close. They were best friends, and they had a unique friendship that most people would die for, so she wasn't going to stand here and continue to let people talk negatively about it. "Dolph and I have always been close… he's my best friend, you knew that before you started dating him."

"I knew that you guys were close, but there's a certain line, AJ." Layla took gradual steps closer to AJ, and with each step, everything about her from her posture to her voice became more intimidating. "You call him that ridiculous pet name of yours, _Ziggy, _and I feel like I have to share him with you. How is that fair on me?"

How petty could she get? Pin pointing the nickname that AJ gave Dolph as a way of saying that they're too close. The hatred for Layla was rising by the second. "You don't have to share him with me, now _that _is something ridiculous to say… look, I don't really get what your problem is here."

Layla broke out into a fit of laughter and then pointed to herself. "You don't get what _my_ problem is? No, I think you do get what my problem is, that's why you're out here looking like a scared little child. I don't get what _your _problem is, AJ. Do you think that I'm blind to not see that you like my man a whole hell of a lot more than a friend?"

A wave of shock coursed through AJ's body. Layla couldn't have been much more blunt than that. She said it, loud and clear, right in the open. She knew that AJ felt something for Dolph. No beating around the bush, she knew that AJ was scared as hell right now, and maybe for quite some time she has known that Layla isn't the only one with eyes for Dolph. Something told her that this was going to end horribly.

"I don't know what you're talking about." She tried to play it off.

"Come on, AJ." Layla scoffed. "Don't play the innocent with me. I've seen a lot of girls who try and hide their little school girl crushes, but I can see right through them and you. I've noticed the way you act whenever Dolph and I are together, you look so uncomfortable and envious. Tonight is a pretty good example of that, I saw the look on your face when we were dancing together, you were reeking of jealousy."

Was there a hole that AJ could crawl into nearby? She felt like could use it right about now. "Listen, I don't want to talk about whatever delusions you're having concerning me and Dolph, alright, like you said, it's freezing out here so I'm gonna head back inside."

AJ brushed past Layla, and she thought that she was going to be able to get out of this talk between them, right up until Layla uttered four words that caused her to stop dead in her tracks.

"Back off from Dolph."

The general manager stood there, trying to absorb just what Layla was saying. She was warning her, instructing her to stay away from her best friend. Who gave her the right? Anger had replaced the feeling of fear inside of AJ's petite body now. "Excuse me?" She questioned, turning back around to see Layla standing there looking even more serious now.

"You heard me, I want you to back off from Dolph, and I also want you to accept that he and I are in a relationship and that we are happy together."

"You want me to stay away from the man who I value as my best friend? Are you for real right now?"

"Yes. I don't want you being as close to him when I know that you're wanting to be more than just 'friends'."

AJ was definitely frustrated now. "I don't want to be more than just friends with him, he's yours, I'm happy that you make him happy, end of story."

"That is total bullshit, and we both know it." Layla was now starting to yell, which was drawing attention to them from some of the people still queuing up to get inside the club.

AJ took a few steps closer to her so she didn't have to let other people know what they were talking about. "I am not having this conversation here, or at all, okay? Dolph is your boyfriend, and my friend, let's just leave it at that."

She could tell by Layla's facial expression that she didn't want to drop this, but she didn't say a word. AJ took that as her cue to go back inside, but as she was starting to walk away again, something happened that she wasn't quite expecting. Layla pushed her from behind, nearly sending her flying to the ground. AJ regained her balance and then spun around wondering what the hell was going on.

"Why did you just push me, Layla?" She frantically asked her older woman.

"You're tired of talking, so why don't we sort this out another way, huh?" Layla hastily replied.

She wasn't joking. The hunger for a fight was displayed as clear as day right in her eyes. AJ knew that she could probably take her on in a brawl, she was a tough woman, but there was no way she was going to fight over this and in front of these people.

"I'm not going to fight you Layla, if that's what you're thinking of doing."

"Why? You scared little girl, huh?"

She pushed her again.

"You too scared to stand up for yourself?"

And again.

"You just going to continue to deny the truth and then back down from a fight like a scared little puppy dog that follows Dolph around when he's too busy showing affection to a real woman, not someone like you. Face it, AJ… he doesn't want you."

**And again.**

There was only so much a person could take before they had no other choice but to retaliate. After the final push from Layla, AJ pushed her back with double the force, and nearly slammed her into the wall. AJ was seething right now. This was the angriest that she's been since she discovered that John was cheating on her. In fact, she was probably even more livid with Layla than she was with both John and Nikki combined. Layla's words coupled with her eagerness to pick a fight was bringing out the worst in her.

"So you are going to fight back then?" Layla laughed. "Well, this is what you get for lying about having feelings for my boyfriend."

Before AJ could even digest what Layla had just said, she received a super hard smack across the face. That did it. The nasty stinging sensation ignited a fire inside the 5"2 Jersey native that she'd never felt before. She was ready to pounce on Layla and make her pay.

That's what she did. Literally. AJ charged towards Layla and started roughly hitting her anywhere she could. There was no specific place that AJ was meaning to hit her, she was just unleashing lots of blows to her body and not caring what happened next. All of the built up rage and aggression that AJ had been bottling up over the past few months was now being released, and Layla was surely going to regret pushing AJ around and treating her like a little girl. She wasn't a little girl at all, she was someone who was going to kick her ass.

The fighting pair were screaming, kicking, punching, not even caring that all eyes from everyone outside were on them. If word got out about this, it certainly wouldn't be the best thing for the ladies careers in WWE, but right now, they couldn't even care. Both were furious, and were beating the crap out of each other best as they could. They were getting an equal amount of offence in, and then AJ ragged on Layla's brunette locks and pushed her to the ground, falling over with her.

The scuffle was heating up with intensity, but then someone came running over and yelling for them to break up the fight. Of course, both women weren't listening to this person, so he got involved and split them up himself. It was Dolph. AJ's hair was all messy so she couldn't see him, but she could tell that he was the one to break them apart by his overwhelmingly desirable cologne, and she could make out his concerned voice anywhere.

"What the hell is going on here?!" Dolph yelled at the two women for them to shed some light onto everything.

Layla and AJ pulled themselves up off the ground and straightened themselves out before answering. In the process of the fight, AJ's brand new little black dress had ripped at the bottom and one of the straps had broken in half. More stuff that was going wrong tonight.

AJ felt like she couldn't speak. She wanted to explain that Layla started it by pushing her around, so she was only sticking up for herself, but it was as if her mouth couldn't form any words in this moment. A bunch of scenarios were racing around her head as to what his reaction would be if he found out that they were technically fighting over him. All of the scenarios weren't good. He could take Layla's side over hers, and this could be the night where a one year friendship comes to an end. She couldn't even bear the thought.

"She started it first." Layla spoke up breathless, leaving AJ gobsmacked that she would lie like that.

Dolph turned his head towards AJ. She could tell that he initially believed what Layla has just said, and he looked disappointed in her. "Is that true, AJ?"

"No! I… I didn't…" The words still wouldn't form properly to explain herself. Tears were now streaming down her face, and AJ didn't even try to fight them back. "I can't deal with this right now."

She ran past Dolph and Layla as fast as her legs would take her. Her mission was to race over to her car that was parked up quite a long walk away from the club. Her heart was in her mouth, and every single emotion imaginable was being felt inside her tiny frame right now, and it hurt like hell. This wasn't how this night was supposed to go. AJ wanted to get adjusted to being around Dolph and Layla together, not get into a scrap because somehow, Layla could see right through her attempt to hide her feelings.

As AJ was running, she could hear Dolph calling out to her, pleading for her to come back. Hearing him shout her back was breaking her heart in two, and the quicker that she could get away from this club, the better.

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**Again, thanks for the reviews, I love reading them! I think there hasn't been a long chapter of just Dolph and AJ in a while, so that might be coming up very soon. Hope you enjoyed the latest installment, feel free to let me know what you thought. :) **


	18. Chapter 18

**Wednesday 3****rd**** October**

AJ finally reached her car after a good few minutes of running. It was only then that she realised that she'd left her bag with her car keys in them back inside the club. Could this night get any worse?

There was no way she was going back there. Her phone, keys and other essentials were in her bag that she desperately needed, but she couldn't go back to where Dolph and Layla were. She needed to get away and pretend that this night never happened, focus on her work and move on from this crushing pain that she was feeling inside.

AJ leaned back against the side of the vehicle, and then slid down to the floor, gentle sobs now escaping past her lips. Nothing felt like it was getting easier for her, none of it. Every time she tried to focus on good things happening to her, something bad happened to remind her that life is horrible. It still tore her apart to know that a man that she spent six months of her life with was cheating on her. She was completely in love with her best friend. Her best friend's girlfriend now officially hates her, and knows of her feelings. She needed someone to tell her when everything was going to be okay again, because right now, she felt like it never was.

AJ heard footsteps come closer to where she was, so she quickly wiped away the tears from her face and got up off the floor. Walking over to her car was Dolph. He had her bag in his hand, and he obviously knew that she wouldn't be able to get anywhere without it. The thought was slightly sweet to AJ, but because he believed Layla just now that she started the fight between them, she was a little mad with him.

"I figured you might need this if you're set on running away from me." He said to her.

AJ rolled her eyes, and walked over to where he was to get the bag from him. "Thank you." She said as she was reaching for it, but Dolph pulled it away from her so she couldn't claim it.

"I'm not giving it to you until you explain to me why you were fighting just now with my girlfriend."

"Don't be a douchebag Dolph, just give me the bag."

"No, AJ." Dolph raised his voice over her. "I just had to separate two women who are pretty damn important to me apart from fighting, I think I deserve an explanation from you."

"Yeah? Well now you know how I felt when you and John hated each other, it sucks, doesn't it?"

Dolph couldn't believe that AJ was acting this way. They were supposed to be best friends and tell each other everything, not be this hostile. "What the hell is going on, AJ?" He continued to press her for an answer.

"Would it even matter if I told you? I mean, you're obviously going to believe Layla over whatever I say, so just hand me the damn bag and run back to her."

He shook his head and AJ let a frustrated groan out due to him being so persistent with this. All she wanted to do was get back to her hotel and far away from this club, why wouldn't he let her do that and go back to Layla?

"I have come here to give you this damn bag because you need it, and I also want to know what happened from you because I've just heard Layla's side of the story, and now I want to hear yours."

Something inside of her snapped, and anger was now the only emotion that she could feel. "Shut up, okay, just shut up!" She yelled as loud as she could. "Stop asking me for my fucking side of the story, and go back to your bitch of a girlfriend and leave me the hell alone!"

Stunned, that's what Dolph was. AJ rarely ever cursed, it wasn't her thing at all, yet here she was yelling at him, pure fire emulating from her small body and cursing. He didn't know what exactly had happened between her and his girlfriend, but he knew it was bad. AJ would never act this way if she wasn't deeply hurt.

He hesitated before talking back to her. His next words were most likely only going to enrage her even more, so he had to be careful. He watched her for a little while, tears building up in her eyes, wrecked dress, and partially battered body from the scrap with Layla. He barely noticed it before because of the darkness, but in the dim light he could just make out that her lip was cut and she was bleeding. It broke his heart to see her in this shape.

"AJ, look, I don't want to argue with you here, okay?" He calmly spoke. "I just want to know what happened, you're my best friend and I care about you more than pretty much everyone."

She softened a little at his concern, but was still so angry at everything. "Do you really think that we're still best friends? I would like to think we are, Dolph, but let's face facts here… we haven't been as close to each other as what we used to be in a long time."

"Yeah, I still strongly believe that we're still best friends, and I don't get why you're so mad at me here, what the hell have I done wrong, AJ, please tell me."

She bit her lip nervously and started rubbing her arms because of the cold. She was angry at him, she felt like she had every right to be. But explaining why she was angry with him, that was hard to do for her. "You haven't… you haven't really been there. And I guess I haven't asked you to be because I… it doesn't matter."

Dolph was confused as to what she meant by that so he walked up to her, but she pulled away from him. Now was not the time that she wanted to be near him. "What are you talking about, AJ?" He asked, completely puzzled by her.

"With John." She said. "Everything with John, you said you would be there to talk to, and you haven't been there at all. I know I haven't exactly asked you to be there, but we're just not as close anymore, Dolph. Especially now that Layla's in the picture, we've grown apart, so can we really still call each other best friends?"

Dolph looked up to the sky and shook his head. "That's such a hypocritical thing to say. You do realise that when you were with John, we started to grow apart, right? And I have seen you almost every day at work, if you needed to talk to me about anything important, why didn't you? I was right there, AJ."

"No you weren't!" She tried to yell back at him, but her voice was now breaking and all that could be heard was an upset shriek. "You weren't there, not really. Yes, I saw you most days at work, but every time we spoke, you wanted to talk about Layla or make jokes, and I was hurting. The thing is, you used to notice whenever I was hurt, but for the past month or so, you haven't noticed one single bit."

"That's not fair on me, AJ." Dolph was now upset with her, too. "Maybe I've been a pretty shitty friend for not noticing, but I've been pre-occupied with a lot of stuff. You should have told me that you needed me, and you know I would have been there in a shot."

AJ stared up into his eyes, and the intensity between them right now was making her stomach do flips. She bowed her head down to avoid his beautiful gaze. "It doesn't matter, alright. Please, just give me the bag so I can get back to the hotel."

Dolph staggered back a few steps and still refused to give her the bag. "I'm not leaving things this way between us, and I still haven't got a clue as to why you and Layla were beating the crap out of each other."

She ragged her fingers through her hair, more aggravated than ever. She had to take a few deep breaths before replying, otherwise she would be yelling at him yet again. "Dolph, just give me the bag and go back to Layla. She needs you more than me right now, and I'm sure she'll clear everything up."

A part of AJ wanted Dolph to leave her alone so bad, because the things that Layla were saying earlier were really starting to make sense. Here Dolph was, choosing to find out the truth from AJ over his girlfriend who was just complaining about feeling like she had to share him with her. Subconsciously, AJ was trying to push him away. She was in love with this guy who was taken, if she didn't try and push him away, she's never going to get over him. Being best friends and best friends only wasn't going to make her stop loving him.

"AJ, I can't just leave you." Dolph spoke softly, tilting his head a little. "You can say whatever you want about us not being as close or whatever, but I love you and you're crying, and bleeding, and I'm worried about you. All I want to know is what the hell happened back there, surely you can just tell me."

_'I love you'. _She knew how he meant it, he meant that he loved her as a friend. But hearing those words, it made her heart skip a beat, and he was driving her crazy here, and making her feel things that she'd never felt in her life. All of her emotions were out of whack and all because she was in love with this guy. He wanted to be a supportive friend, but she wanted more. She craved more. But she couldn't have it.

"Do you really want to know what happened?" She asked him, trying to not sound broken. It wasn't working.

"Yes, I really do."

"Fine." She breathed deeply. "You remember John saying that he didn't like how close we were?"

"Yeah, I vaguely remember him saying that." He tried to joke.

"Layla has the same problem. The way we talk to each other, she thinks that we are far too close to just be friends. She said that I seem uncomfortable around you two, and that she thinks it's because I have feelings for you… _deep_ feelings. That's what she told me before we ended up fighting tonight."

Dolph's initial reaction was to laugh because he assumed AJ was joking about all this, but then he realised she was being serious. "That's crazy, why would she think that?"

Tonight had been an emotional rollercoaster. She had to be honest with him, because if she wasn't honest, she could lose his trust and also him as a friend. If she refused to tell him, she could still lose him as a friend. Even if she didn't lose him in all of this drama, things would never be the same. Any way she chose to go about things, their friendship was never going to be what it used to be. Not now. Time to confess true feelings.

"She thinks that because it's true."

Dolph's face was expressionless. AJ couldn't read what his reaction to her last words were at all. She suddenly became so scared as to what he was going to do next, she could swear that he would be able to hear her heart pounding right through her chest.

"What?" That was all Dolph could say.

"I am uncomfortable around you and Layla. In all honesty, I can't stand seeing you two together. I don't quite understand how Layla was able to figure out how I feel about you when she barely knows me, but she did, and well, I… I think I'm in love with you, Dolph."

Dolph furrowed his eye brows, and AJ couldn't work out whether that was a good sign or a bad one. Zack told her that Dolph did have feelings for her too not that long ago, so perhaps this story would have a happy ending and they would ride off together and live happily ever after. But that kind of thing only existed in fairy tales. This was no fairy tale. There was still the matter of AJ not having a damn clue as to what he was feeling in all of this right now, and he has a girlfriend who makes him happy. This story probably wasn't going to end well for her.

"Y-you're in love with me?" His voice was barely more than a whisper, and she's lucky to have even heard it with the sound of the traffic in the distance.

"I think so." She boldly replied. "I know this complicates things, and it's not like I expect you to feel the same, but that's how I feel. I think I've known it for a while, and maybe that's why I never loved John, but yeah, I guess I'm in love with you."

"But you rejected me last year, I asked you out on a date when we first got to know each other, and you rejected me."

After her admission of love, all he was going to do was bring up the past? "I know I did, and I still stand by that because we would never have become friends if I had have taken you up on your offer. But… things change in a year, feelings change and my feelings for you have grown… a lot."

Dolph was astounded. She could see how confused, shocked and irritated he was by all of this, and he was trying so hard to wrap his head around the fact that his best friend was in love with him.

"So that's why you got into a fight with Layla? Because you're in love with me. Does she know for definite that you feel that way about me?"

"No, I didn't confirm her suspicions, I… I tried to tell her that she was wrong about whatever she thought I felt for you, out of respect. I know you're happy with her, Dolph, and I didn't want to ruin things, no matter how much I don't like you together. I tried to end things and go back inside the club, but she pushed me, she literally pushed me so many times so I pushed back. She slapped me after that and then next thing you know, we're fighting each other."

Dolph took in what she said and he now looked sad. He looked like a sad little puppy dog, and damn it, all AJ wanted to do was hug him and tell him that everything was going to be okay.

She took a step closer towards him. "Dolph? Say something, please. You've just been begging me to tell you what happened, and now I've told you. I'm a little scared that you're not dealing with this very well."

"No, I'm not dealing with this well." He said. "I just… the timing of all this couldn't have been worse."

AJ knew what he was referring to. He meant that he wished she would have confessed her love to him when he was single, when those feelings he felt for her were strong. Not now. Not when his girlfriend is a few minutes away, probably still angry from the fight.

"Where does this leave us?" AJ asked him, and never in her life had she been more scared of what the answer to her question would be.

"I don't know. I don't know what I'm supposed to do now if I'm honest with you, AJ."

She nodded understandingly, and looked down to the floor. "Okay. You don't have to do anything now, you know."

"I know. But hey, listen to me," Dolph placed his finger under her chin to lift her head back up, and again they were locked in an intense stare. "Don't think that this means that we stop being friends because of this, okay? I don't want that to happen."

AJ didn't reply. Staying just friends didn't even seem like an option anymore. A tear ran down her cheek, and with his thumb, Dolph wiped it away. That caused her to smile slightly. His simple and sweet gestures were one of the main things she loved about him.

"Here." He said and handed her the bag she's been pleading for. "Take it. Go back to the hotel, get some rest and please, for me, don't cry anymore. I'll talk to you tomorrow."

She took the bag from his grasp, and she was about to turn away to go straight to her car, but he leaned in close and kissed her on her forehead. The heat from his body radiated from him now that he was so close, and she didn't feel as cold anymore. He lingered for a little while with the kiss, and she could also feel him tangle his hands into her hair. That was his thing. He _loved _her hair, and it comforted her to feel his fingers caught up in her brunette locks.

Dolph then pulled away from her. The heat was gone, and the bitter cold of the night was back and making her teeth chatter. He half smiled at her before turning away to walk back to the club. Back to Layla. He may say that they will talk tomorrow, but somehow that felt like a lie. Layla wouldn't like that. The kiss almost felt like a goodbye kiss, and maybe that's just what it was. AJ needed to get back to the hotel, just like she had intended to before Dolph came over, but she couldn't take her eyes away from him.

Her best friend, the man she loved and perhaps the greatest thing in her life was walking away. Whether it was forever, she didn't yet know.


	19. Chapter 19

**Thanks for the feedback guys, I know quite a lot of chapters have been sort of heart breaking but it's leading to something good trust me. If you've been following the whole story, you will know that I switched it from Dolph's side of things to AJ's half way through, and for the next few chapters at least, it will be going back to Dolph's side. Hope that isn't too confusing, and let me know if you like the latest installment!**

* * *

**Wednesday 3****rd**** October**

Tonight was supposed to be about a bunch of friends hanging out, having some fun, getting drunk and just enjoying themselves. That's why Dolph invited everybody out tonight, including AJ and Layla. He never would have expected that so many things would happen that this night would turn into one of the worst nights in his life.

Walking back to the club now, he was still trying to wrap his head around it all. AJ had just told him that she is in love with him. Was this even real life? AJ is the girl who Dolph was so sure was the one, so sure that by some twist of fate, he would end up with her and they would have a great future together. But that changed. It all changed when he went out one night with Zack and ran into Layla. He thought he'd moved on, and was in a place of happiness with his new girlfriend.

Obviously all those feelings he held for his best friend didn't automatically disappear. They were so strong, how could he just stop feeling for her completely? That's why he's so confused right now. Dolph's heart is conflicted.

On the one hand, he has Layla. A woman who made him incredibly happy, made him laugh, have fun and was so caring and sweet towards him that he never would have expected from her. She was great, and not to mention, so stunning. A girlfriend that plenty of men would die for. He was lucky to have her in his life.

But then, there's AJ. A woman who has changed his life in so many ways that he couldn't even begin to explain how impactful she was on him. She is beautiful, funny, and even in her bad moments like just now, she seemed to bright up his life. AJ has been there through so much, she knew him inside and out. She drove him absolutely crazy, but they clicked, and the only real problem with being something more with her was that she was his best friend. He needed his best friend, he couldn't risk losing that.

"What happened? Is she okay?" Zack came jogging over to Dolph when he saw him, obviously concerned about AJ after the fight.

"I'm not so sure if she's okay right now, but I think she'll be fine. Where's Layla?"

Zack frowned after Dolph asked him where his girlfriend was. That wasn't a good sign. "She took off, bro." He told him.

"Are you kidding me?"

"No, when you went after your girl bestie, she looked really pissed off. I think she was mad that you went after AJ instead of talking to her."

Dolph felt deflated. His girlfriend was mad at him, who knows what AJ felt right now, and Layla was the one who was driving, so he had no ride back to the hotel. Could things get any worse?

* * *

An hour later, he had finally got back to the hotel after waiting so long for a taxi. With every minute that went by, he felt more confused and conflicted about things. Everything would have been easier if AJ hadn't have told him how she felt, or if she didn't get into a brawl with Layla. He would be a lot happier. Dolph hasn't been this low since his argument with AJ a few months ago.

Dolph finally reached his room and inserted the room key into the door. Once inside, he quickly scanned the room to see if Layla had run out on him, but he saw the heels that she was wearing earlier were by the door, so she was still in the room.

"Layla, you in here?" He called out.

He heard no response, but could hear someone moving around in the bedroom, so he shut the door behind him and strode over to where she was. Dolph peered round the bedroom door, and what he saw was Layla packing her suitcase. His stomach dropped a little to know that she was planning on leaving, but he couldn't say he didn't expect her to be this mad that she would want to leave.

"Please tell me that you're just packing for your flight home tomorrow and that you're not planning on running out on me, Lay." He said as he walked over to her side. Dolph tried to stop her from packing some more, but as soon as he made physical contact with her, she pulled away, refusing to let him touch her.

"Stay away from me Dolph, alright, I am not in the mood to even look at you." She coldly told him.

"Lay, please don't be this way, let's talk about things."

"What's there to talk about, huh?" She challenged, finally making eye contact. He could see that her eyes were slightly red, so obviously she had been crying. He also noticed that AJ had got in a good few punches because Layla was bruised in so many places from her face to her arms. "You want to go into detail about how your so called best friend is trying to steal you away from me, or are you going to lie about that just like what she did."

"Don't be this way." Dolph hissed back at her. "AJ isn't trying to steal me away, so don't be so mean about her. You know, you never would have gotten into a fight with her tonight if you weren't being so disrespectful towards her."

"And there you go, Dolph, taking her side in all of this! It shows who you care more about out of the two of us." Layla scoffed. "Try being in my situation, having to watch her be completely obsessed with you but hide it. It's not the greatest feeling when you're in competition with someone who means a heck of a lot to you."

"You're not in competition with her Lay, and you know you're not. AJ is my best friend, and yeah, she means a lot to me, but you knew that when we started dating. You are my girlfriend, there's a difference in the way I feel about you both."

"Something tells me that the only difference is that you feel for her more than you do for me." Layla said glumly. She no longer seemed angry and her brown eyes were becoming watery. Dolph couldn't stand seeing women cry, and in the space of one night he had to witness two women who he believed were amazingly strong, cry in front of him. It didn't help that it was partly his fault for why they were getting emotional.

Layla sat down on the bed and Dolph sat down right beside her. He wanted to put his arm around her, do anything that would comfort her and make her okay, but she would probably pull away from him again.

"That night we bumped into each other in Long Island, just before we started dating, do you remember what we were talking about almost the entire night?" Layla asked him.

Dolph sighed, knowing exactly where she was going with this. "We were talking about AJ. I got a little drunk, and I told you everything about what happened and how I felt like I might have lost her as a friend."

"Yeah, we must have talked about it for a good few hours." Layla shifted her body so she was facing towards him. "I sat there in a bar with you, and I listened to you go on and on about how much you cared about her, and how big of an idiot John is for cheating on her. I saw how broken up you were about her not believing you, or her not even trying to contact you after your argument. That night, I was convinced you were in love with her."

Dolph was a little shocked by what Layla had just said. She never mentioned that she thought Dolph had feelings for AJ, why is she only bringing it up now? "Really? But… if you honestly thought that, why would you start dating me shortly after?"

"Because you know how the rest of that night went, Dolph." She said. "We both got really drunk and hooked up. It was a mistake in a way, because you were still so hurt about AJ, but I liked you, and you ended up saying you liked me. I've always thought that maybe I'll never measure up to AJ in your eyes, but I liked you so much, I tried to push that to the back of my mind."

"Lay, don't say things such as that you'll never-"

"Do you love me?" She interrupted him.

A question he wasn't expecting to be asked. Did he love her? All of the time spent with her has been great, but love? He wasn't sure that was what he was feeling. "Why are you asking me that?"

"Because, we've never really talked about love, or about our feelings for each other in general. It might be too soon to say, but I'll be honest with you right now, I do love you. At least I think I do. And I also think I know what your answer is to this, but I'm asking you again anyway, do you love me?"

He stared into her brown eyes that were wide and hopeful. Maybe if they were further into their relationship, or AJ hadn't have told him her feelings and messed with her head, or even if he had have never met AJ at all, he could say the words that she wanted to hear. Layla was any man's ideal woman, and he's an idiot for not being in love with her, but that was him. This man was conflicted about a lot of things, but he knew what he felt for Layla wasn't love.

"I care so much about you, you know that I do. But I can't say that I love you back, because I would be dishonest. I'm sorry, Layla." Dolph tried his best to show just how honest he was being right there, because he truly meant that apology.

Layla nodded and half smiled in response. "It's okay, that's what I expected you to say. Now, I have another question for you, and please, don't say I'm being crazy or that I'm reading too much into things. Be honest with me just like you have done."

Dolph was becoming increasingly nervous, and he knew that the question she was about to ask involved AJ. "I promise I'll be honest." He stated.

"Can you honestly say to me right now that you don't have feelings for AJ?"

He promised he would be honest. No lies. "Honestly? I'm not sure. My head, particularly tonight, is messed up about it all. I don't know how I feel because this has been such a weird night. You and her were fighting and you don't understand how much it hurt to see you both like that. All I wanted was for you guys to get along because I care about you both."

"So, you're unsure of your feelings." Layla said, and Dolph nodded in reply. "I understand. I hope that somewhere along the way, you figure out what you want, I really do. But I can't be with someone who doesn't know whether he wants to be with me or his friend. I can't continue falling more in love with you if you're just going to end up choosing her, and if my gut feeling about this is right, and it usually is… you will end up choosing her in the end because you are in love with her."

Dolph didn't know what to say. He felt compelled to say something good to stop her from walking out and leaving him, but she was right. Maybe not about the being in love thing, that was still unclear in his head. He didn't know how to feel and it wasn't fair on her. The two of them breaking up may be the best option, no matter how much Dolph was becoming upset about it.

Layla got back up and put some more of her things back in her suitcase. No words came to Dolph's mind to ease the tension in the room, so instead he stared down at his hands, feeling completely useless.

"Right, well I'm going to take off." Layla told him sadly as she zipped up her suitcase. "If I've left anything in here, just give it to me at work."

He looked up at her and nodded, and then Layla headed straight for the door. Dolph got up and jogged over to where she was, needing to say one final thing, even if he wasn't sure what to say that would make anything better.

"Layla, wait up." He said. She slowly turned around while standing in the doorway of the hotel room. "I'm sorry. I'm sorry that things didn't work out between us."

"Me too." She sent him a sorrow filled smile. "I know you're baffled by how you feel for her at the moment, but you willl realise that you truly do love her, I know it. If I were you, I wouldn't hesitate to let her know how I feel. And despite how it pains me to think of you and her together, I wish you both happiness."

Layla was giving him and AJ her blessing even though Dolph didn't know what he was going to do next. This situation couldn't get any weirder for him.

"Oh, and when you catch up with her to tell her how you feel, tell her that I'm sorry for being such a jealous bitch tonight. I was way out of line." She said.

Layla smiled at Dolph again, trying to mask how hurt she was, and then winked at him before shutting the door behind her. They were broken up. Dolph was a single man. He was alone yet again after another failed relationship that lasted only for a month and a half.

Dolph walked back into the bedroom and picked up his phone that he had chucked on his bed. He clicked onto his contacts where AJ's name was the first to appear. He wanted to call her. He wanted to tell her about what had just happened, about how he was feeling, about how truly messed up his head was right now, and he wanted to discuss where him and her were going to go from here.

But he couldn't force himself to do it.

He threw the phone back onto his bed and flopped down onto the sheets himself. The conversation with AJ will have to wait until tomorrow.


	20. Chapter 20

**Thursday 4****th**** October**

_"Zack, who's that chick over there talking to Vickie?" Dolph elbowed his best friend in the side who he was sat with in catering._

_Zack turned around to see who the woman in question was. "That's AJ Lee, you know who she is, you had a match against her on nxt almost a year ago."_

_"Oh yeah!" Dolph realized. "I remember her now. Wow, why wouldn't I instantly remember her, she's hot."_

_"You think so?" Zack raised his eye brow at Dolph. "I think she looks too young, but that might just be me."_

_Dolph continued to look up and down at AJ who really did look beautiful tonight, even more beautiful than he remembered her being when he worked with her in nxt. Maybe that's why he didn't instantly remember who she was. Dolph felt the urge to get up and talk to the woman, perhaps even ask her out on a date. He had just recently broken up with a girl who he had been with for a few months, Lucy. It wouldn't hurt to try and get back out there._

_Dolph took another bite out of his food and then got up to go and talk to AJ and Vickie. He was never too good at asking women out, because despite his 'show off' ways, he was just a guy who didn't like the idea of being rejected. _

_"Dolph, hey!" Vickie beamed and opened her arms for a hug from her associate. "You remember AJ don't you?"_

_"Yeah, of course I do. You're the one that slapped the taste right out of my mouth." He smiled over at AJ after hugging Vickie._

_AJ had that innocent look to her. She did look young for her age of 24, but that didn't change the fact that she was a naturally stunning woman. She didn't even have to do much, and somehow she seemed to brighten up a room. Her presence was intriguing, and all Dolph wanted to do was get to know her._

_"I am the very same woman. You know, if you didn't want me to slap you in the face three times, maybe you should have let me tag in my partner."_

_Dolph laughed at her. "I guess I deserved it anyway, I don't know if you've noticed, but I'm kind of a known jerk around here."_

_"I don't believe that for a second." _

_AJ then looked away but smiled one of the prettiest smiles he's seen in a long time, maybe ever. Call him crazy, but he thought that maybe she might be attracted to him just like what he was to her._

_"Okay, well I'm going to go and get my make-up done for the show tonight" Vickie said. "It was nice seeing you again, AJ. I'll leave you two to have a little chat."_

_Vickie left the pair alone, but not before shooting Dolph a knowing look which meant that she thinks he should flirt with her some more. Dolph knew Vickie so well, and during their time working together, she's become a mother figure to him on the road. She always seems to push him to date women who she thinks would be perfect for him. AJ must be one of them._

_"So…" Dolph smiled at the younger woman. "Are you officially a part of the main roster now then?" _

"Dolph… wake up."

_"Yeah, yeah I am." AJ replied sweetly. "I've been doing a lot of stuff on nxt, but I'm starting to do more main roster stuff now. I'm enjoying it so much."_

_The little smile AJ kept doing was so angelic, she was one of the cutest things he had ever laid eyes on. "That's good to hear. I remember on nxt you saying that you've been a huge WWE fan all your life, just like me. That's awesome. Anyway, I was actually wondering if you fancied going out for a drink or dinner one night, perhaps we could get to know each other better and-"_

"Hey, Dolph, wake up for God's sake!"

Dolph was repeatedly getting nudged in the side from someone, and he could faintly hear a voice telling him to wake up. His eyelids fluttered open, and the person standing next to his bed and prodding him to wake up was Kaitlyn. What the hell is she doing in his hotel room?

"Kaitlyn?" He asked with a scratchy voice. "What are you… why are you in here?"

"I have been banging on your door for about five minutes straight, only to find that the door was open and you were in the deepest sleep I've ever seen anybody in before." She replied, seeming in a rather bad mood.

He looked over at the clock on the bedside table and on the digital device it read 6:10 am. So many questions were on his mind now, even in his half asleep state. Why was Kaitlyn, a woman that he didn't know too well, in his room at 6 in the morning? Did he really pass out last night after Layla left and get 8 hours sleep, which is unheard of for him? And finally… why was he just dreaming about the day he asked AJ out on a date?

"That didn't really answer my question when I asked why are you in here?"

"Oh, right, yeah." Kaitlyn sat down on the edge of Dolph's bed. "I'm in here for quite a few reasons actually."

Dolph sat up and leaned his head against the headboard. He had a major headache due to all the events that took place last night. "Go ahead and explain to me then. I've got a plane back to Phoenix that I've got to catch in a few hours."

"First off, I want to let you know that I think you're the most idiotic son of a bitch on the planet."

He wasn't exactly expecting to hear that from someone who spent five minutes trying to get into his room. "Excuse me?" He asked defensively.

"You know that's exactly what you are, Dolph Ziggler. You are an idiotic son of a bitch for walking away from AJ after she told you that she was in love with you, and believe me, she really is. Couldn't you tell how upset she was last night? She needed you, man."

Dolph felt a wave of guilt wash over him when he remembered back to seeing AJ in tears last night. She confessed her love, something that took an incredible amount of courage to do, and he ended up walking away from her, probably leaving her to cry some more. He felt like such a jackass.

"Look, Kaitlyn, if you're only here to tell me that I'm an idiot, just don't bother. I know I'm an idiot for leaving AJ, but I had to go and find Layla." He told her.

"What did Layla have to say about all of this?"

"If you must know, she said that she acted like a jealous bitch over AJ, that she thinks I'm in love with AJ and then she broke up with me."

Kaitlyn changed from being pissed off with him, to actually being sympathetic. "That's a lot in one night. Best friend admitting her true feelings and losing your girlfriend. I'm sorry to hear that. But err… do you think Layla's right?"

"About what?"

"About how she thinks that you're in love with AJ."

He didn't know what to say back to her. So much had happened that it almost felt like he couldn't feel anything right now. He honestly felt numb from everything, so how was he supposed to answer a question on whether he was in love with AJ or not?

"I don't know, maybe, I'm not sure." He groaned. "The thing is, if you would have come up to me and asked me if I thought I was in love with AJ a few months ago, I would have said yes. I really thought I was because she was the biggest part of my life, but things changed, you know? I got with Layla, and AJ had stuff going on with John, we argued and now I'm just here, stuck, and I don't have a clue on how I feel."

Kaitlyn started chewing on her lip. He could tell that despite how much she thought he was an idiot, she was now starting to feel sorry for him after hearing his side of the story. He didn't want her pity though.

"Did you know that AJ knows that you had feelings for her a few months ago?" Kaitlyn asked him.

That took him a little by surprise. "She does? How does she know that?"

"It doesn't take a genius to work that one out, Dolph." Kaitlyn rolled her eyes. "Zack told her, but before you get mad about that, he didn't actually mean to let it slip, but him and AJ were arguing and he told her by accident."

He knew Zack would end up spilling his secret to her. That man can't keep a secret to save his life.

"Can I ask you something, Dolph?" Kaitlyn now looked extremely serious.

"Sure, go ahead."

"If you were so sure you were in love with her a few months ago, why are you unsure now? I get that things have happened that could have made you think twice or whatever, but love is such a strong thing, I don't really believe that you could fall out of love with someone who is such a big part of your life in the space of a few months."

What Kaitlyn had just said really made Dolph take a minute to think. AJ basically has been everything to him for the past year, and just because he was happy with Layla cannot completely diminish those strong feelings. He really wished that he could know what he wants or how he feels so he could give a proper answer to Kaitlyn. He hated being so conflicted about all of this.

"I don't really know how to explain it in a way that makes sense." He sighed and got up out of bed. Luckily for him he was still dressed in the clothes he wore last night, and he wasn't just in his boxers like he usually slept in. "It's just like… I was convinced she didn't care about me in that way. I forced myself to move on, and it's been such a crazy time, everything has messed my head up. I think maybe I just need a few days or a few weeks to be by myself and figure things out. Then, I can say how I truly feel about AJ."

Kaitlyn nodded understandingly and then went back to chewing on her lip. The first time she did it, it was because she felt sorry for him. But now, Dolph knew that she was doing it for a different reason. She was holding something back.

"Is there something else you need to say to me, Kaitlyn?" Dolph questioned, now standing right in front of her.

Kaitlyn looked up at him and she seemed a little upset. "I get that you may need time to figure out how you feel about our girl, but… you may not be able to have that time."

Dolph tilted his head to the side and furrowed his eyebrows. AJ's former tag team partner certainly knew how to confuse him. "What are you talking about?"

"It's actually the main reason why I came in here." Kaitlyn said and then got up from the bed and started pacing around the room. "This is going to sound crazy to you because, believe me, it sounded crazy to me as well, but… AJ is planning on leaving WWE and then moving away from Tampa."

Dolph instantly laughed out loud because that was such a ridiculous thing for Kaitlyn to say. But then when he stopped laughing, he noticed Kaitlyn's facial expression. She wasn't joking. She was being serious. His heart sank at the thought of AJ leaving WWE, not seeing her 280 days out of the year, and her leaving behind her dream job. "You cannot be serious."

"Oh, I am." She said. "I don't know whether she's really going to go through with it, but she was being serious when she told me that she wanted to leave the company and then move out. She said she wanted to get away from everything."

"No. No, this isn't like her. I don't believe that she would even think about leaving her whole life behind for a second, especially leaving WWE." He said while shaking his head.

Kaitlyn walked up to Dolph and then placed her hands on his arms to calm him down, even though he wasn't necessarily angry. At least he wasn't yet. "Well she was being serious, Dolph. I went by her hotel room last night to see if she was okay, and we stayed up for a few hours talking about everything and she's just… I don't even know how to describe how she's feeling. I think she's lost, and she's set on leaving the company and moving to somewhere else and starting fresh."

Dolph couldn't wrap his head around AJ saying she wants to leave. It was the leaving WWE part he really couldn't understand. This is her childhood dream, he believed that nothing in this world would make her want to feel like quitting. He simply couldn't believe that she was being serious. "Kaitlyn, this is her dream job. She loves working in WWE more than anything, there isn't a good enough reason for her wanting to leave. Why did she say she wanted to quit?"

"Because of you." Kaitlyn said softly.

He was the reason. Her childhood dream could be over because of him. That was far too much for him to take in. "Because of me?" His voice was cracking. "Please tell me that is not true."

"Yes, it is because of you. I think you underestimate just how in love with you she is, Dolph. I know she turned down your offer of a date last year, but I think she's secretly been falling for you all along. I don't think she can bear to work alongside you if you're not going to be anything more, and she also still thinks you're with Layla. I think her love for you outweighs her dream."

Dolph didn't even take time to absorb everything Kaitlyn was saying before he picked up his already packed suitcase and headed straight for the door.

"Dolph, where are you going?" Kaitlyn called.

"I've gotta go and find AJ, I need to talk to her. I'm not going to let her do something stupid."

"She's at the airport."

He turned back around and gawped at Kaitlyn. "Where is she going?" He asked hesitantly.

"She's been called into a meeting at WWE headquarters. That's also another reason why I'm here so early. I'm scared that she's going to still be so emotional that she will end up quitting today when she's in the meeting."

"What time is her flight?"

"It's in an hour." Kaitlyn replied. "Are you going to stop her?"

"Yes, I'm going to stop her. There's no way I'm letting her get on that plane if there's a chance that she could quit her job. Hopefully I'll be able to get to the airport in time."


	21. Chapter 21

**Thanks for the feedback, and quick note that this chapter is AJ's side of things instead of Dolph's like the last couple of chapters. I thought mixing things up again would be better for this. Enjoy!**

* * *

**Thursday 4****th**** October**

Quitting WWE never felt like it could be a possibility for AJ. Since she was 12 years old, she longed to be a diva, to be a part of the billion dollar company that millions of others dream of working for. AJ has sacrificed so much, and has literally starved herself to get where she is today, and all in all, a lifetime of hard work paid off and she was living the dream. The only thing she hasn't done that she really wanted to do was become diva's champion, but she had done so many other things in her career such as become general manager, be in main events and play a role in major storylines. AJ had gotten the opportunity to do everything she ever wanted to do, and everything was even better than she had imagined as a child.

So it seems pretty damn unbelievable that she now wanted to leave.

Dolph Ziggler. Best friend, work colleague, possibly her true love. AJ might even go as far to say that he was her soul mate. The child version of her would be ragging her by the hair and telling her that she was deranged for even contemplating leaving because of him. But isn't that what love does? It drives us crazy. It makes us irrational and confused, and leaves us not knowing what to do with our lives. And AJ wanted to get away from it. Dolph is with Layla, and being around them, especially after her fight with her, it was too much to handle. Being a lovesick woman over her best friend was the last thing she wanted, so the only real way of getting away from it was leaving WWE.

But it wasn't just him that was now making her want to leave. There were other various factors that played into it. For instance, she was missing her family. They lived in Puerto Rico, and AJ hasn't seen them in so long. The only time she really gets to communicate with them is by text or email, and it was becoming tedious. The first thing that AJ planned on doing after resigning was hopping on a plane to Puerto Rico and seeing them. But after that… she didn't have a clue.

AJ didn't know what to do next. Maybe she would move states, work a few indy circuits. Some of the best moments she's had in her life were when she was working as an independent wrestler. It wouldn't be the worst thing to go back to that.

She noticed the time on her watch that read '7:05'. Her plane to Stamford would be boarding soon so she needed to get up. She quickly buried her face in her hands and started rubbing her tired eyes. AJ didn't get much sleep last night, mainly from thinking far too much about Dolph and her future. It was a stressful time, and she was paying the price for it with her exhaustion. She picked up the bag that was placed on the chair next to her and stood up from where she was sitting.

She instantly collided with someone who was standing right in front of her.

A stern look plastered on to his face.

He wasn't happy.

**Dolph.**

"What are y-you doing here?" AJ stuttered. She was stunned that he even knew that she was here at the airport at such an early time.

"Kaitlyn told me you were here." His tone was cold and serious, which scared AJ a little bit. "She also told me about your little plan to leave. I'm here right now for you to tell me that this is all some pathetic joke."

AJ looked away from him, feeling so guilty that she didn't let him in on this life changing decision. "It's not a joke, Dolph. I know it's pretty big news, but I think it's for the best and-"

"No, don't be such an idiot!" He raised his voice, attracting the attention of a lot of passers-by in the airport.

"Don't raise your voice at me, Ziggler!" She snapped back. "I'm not having this argument here."

"Oh, so when are we going to have this argument then, AJ? Huh? Were you planning on discussing this with me after you had stupidly handed in your resignation, or were you not going to talk to me about it at all?"

"It's my decision okay, I don't have to involve you in every single aspect of my life!"

Dolph bit on his tongue to keep from arguing with her in the middle of this huge airport, so instead, he grabbed onto her hand and laced his fingers through hers, dragging her away from prying eyes. AJ cursed the fact that she got major butterflies fluttering around in her tummy from feeling his hand in hers, because now she was extremely pissed off that he had come out here to ultimately call her pathetic.

The two of them finally stopped in a corner of the airport where hardly anyone was around. "You don't have to involve me in every aspect of your life, AJ, I don't expect you to do that." He tried to sound calm. "But when you are about to get on a plane and quit your dream job, that is something I expect you to come and talk to me about first."

"But if I would have come to you, you would have only talked me out of it."

"You're damn right I would have talked you out of it!" He countered back. "I'm sorry, maybe I'm just a little too tired because your freaking best friend woke me up far too early today, but I cannot understand why you would want to leave WWE. You love it so much."

AJ folded her arms and then started to replay some of the memories she's had while working in WWE. There were some truly remarkable times there, and she did love it so much, maybe even too much. But working alongside Dolph after everything, continuing to try and suppress the strong feelings that she had for him deep inside just so she could be a good friend… it was too much to bear.

Dolph shuffled a little closer to AJ and bended his knees slightly so he was more on her eye level. "Is it because of me?" He asked her, and AJ glanced at him, but looked away again.

"It's not just because of you." She spoke through gritted teeth. "You are partly to do with it, but there are other reasons."

"You're not leaving, AJ. I refuse to be a part of why you leave a job that you've been dying to have since you were a little girl, there is no way I'm going to stand for that!"

"Well, you don't get to have a say in the matter, okay?" She stated. "Look, I only decided on leaving last night when I was talking to Kait, so I'm not sure that I'm gonna quit today or whatever… but that doesn't even matter, Dolph. It's my decision, so don't tell me what I can and can't do."

Dolph clenched his fists tightly into a ball and looked up at the ceiling. He was truly frustrated with AJ being so intent with leaving. AJ could see that she was causing him a lot of distress, and it was starting to pain her. She needed to get away from this tension between them, and luckily for her, she had a plane she needed to catch very soon.

"I have to get on the flight to Stamford, so-"

"How dare you." He cut her off with three words that she wasn't expecting.

"Excuse me?" She replied.

"You heard me. Do you realise how selfish you're being here?"

Was he really being this way with her? He comes out to insult her and call her names such as selfish and pathetic. She was really starting to wonder why she loved this man so much. "Selfish? I don't need to hear stuff like this from you okay Dolph, I need to go."

AJ picked up her bags and was about to storm off until Dolph uttered some words to stop her in her tracks. "Layla broke up with me last night."

AJ's body went stiff and she couldn't move a muscle. She was processing what he had just said to her. He was single. No Layla as his girlfriend anymore. Likely because of her. She couldn't work out whether she was over the moon or felt guilty for playing a part in this break up.

"Layla broke up with you?" She asked as she turned around to face him again, dropping her bags to the floor.

"Yeah, she broke up with me. After her fight with you and everything, she left me. I couldn't even stop her from leaving me, and do you know why?"

AJ shook her head slightly, and the guilt was really hitting her now because she knew she had been the vital factor in their break up. "She broke up with me because she believes that I am in love with you."

Her jaw dropped open and tears were threatening to leak from her eyes. The way Dolph looked right now was a mixture of furious, upset and calm. That was a weird combination of emotions to describe his current state, but that's what he was like. The way he delivered his sentences, she could tell that he was angry and upset over losing Layla, yet he was trying to stay cool and calm because it was hard for him to be mean to her.

"She said that she's always felt that way." He continued. "And last night was basically the final straw for her. When she asked me if I could be honest and tell her that I didn't feel anything for you as more than a friend, I didn't even know what to say. There I was, sat with my emotional girlfriend on my bed and I couldn't tell her that I didn't feel something for my best friend. And it's all because you fucked with my head last night when you told me that you were in love with me. So there, that's why you're selfish."

AJ's mouth stayed open in shock over his words. It seemed like every time he said something else to her, she was getting a stab right to the heart. She didn't know how to digest what he had said. AJ had confused him, made him unsure of how to feel. Isn't that exactly how she's been like for the past few months?

"I'm sorry that I messed with your head." She said sadly. "That's… that's not what I intended to do at all."

They both didn't say anything after that. Brown and blue eyes fixed on each other's. A range of emotions were being felt by both of them. AJ knew she had to hurry and catch that flight, but under his intense gaze and just when he was getting deep with this conversation, she couldn't move. Her feet physically felt like they were glued onto the floor.

Dolph took a few steps towards her, which caused her heart rate to speed up. "Sorry isn't good enough right now. You know, like I said earlier, Kaitlyn woke me up this morning. She called me an idiot for leaving you last night, and I felt so guilty for doing so, and then she told me about your plans to leave WWE. How is it fair that she should make me feel bad for leaving you after you told me you loved me, but it's okay for you to decide to pretty much leave my life?"

Another stab right to the chest. "I don't know." She mumbled.

"See? It's selfish of you, AJ." He spat. "It's selfish that you are planning on walking out of my life without even telling me first, and you know what else is selfish? How you found out about how I felt about you, and you knew how happy Layla has made me over the past couple of months, and still, you drop the bombshell of you being in love with me, and ruin everything."

His tone was becoming increasingly more vicious. Yet another metaphorical stab to her heart. She kind of wished they were real stabs, just so she didn't have to endure the emotional pain and guilt he was inflicting on her. "I- I'm sorry, Dolph. I swear to you, I'm sorry."

Dolph shook his head and out of the corner of her eye, she could see his hands were no longer curled up into fists. That meant he was loosening up a bit. Maybe that was a good sign.

"While Kaitlyn was in my room this morning, she also asked me if I was in love with you. I couldn't even answer. I told her that I felt like I needed more time to think things over, because so much had happened in one night, I felt confused. But on the way over here…"

He took even more steps towards her so now he was barely a few inches away from her body, and he brushed a strand of hair from her face. His touch sent a shiver down her spine.

"…I thought about everything. I was so angry AJ, and I still am. But not for the reasons that I've just mentioned. I'm angry at you because I _do _know how I feel deep down, and what I feel is that I am madly in love with you. It angers me that even though I should not want anything to do with you after messing with my head so bad, all I want to do right now is kiss you, and let you know how amazing you truly are, no matter how selfish I've just made you out to be."

Those words didn't feel like a stab to her chest this time. Instead, it felt like her heart stopped for a moment, or as if time stood still and everything was going by in slow motion. So many times she had imagined him telling her he loves her too, but never had she thought that it would happen this way. The way he had just said everything was so mind boggling.

"I don't… I'm so confused right now."

Dolph chuckled in response. This man seemed angry at her a few minutes ago, and now he was laughing and had a look in his eye like he really was in love with her. "To rephrase what I just said in a better way… I love you so much, AJ. I'm sorry it's taken me until now to admit this to you and also myself, but so much has gotten in the way, but I am in love with you."

A tear rolled down AJ's cheek, and she quickly wiped it away and chuckled just how Dolph did not that long ago. She was tired of crying lately, and in some weird way even though he'd insulted her, this was the moment she had been waiting for. He told her he loved her. The two of them were in love.

"How on earth do you go from telling me I'm selfish to telling me you love me?" She laughed.

"I don't know," He smiled back at her. "I think I needed to get my anger out before I told you how I really feel."

AJ wasn't sure what to do next, and all she could do was stare into his blue eyes and revel in this moment where their true feelings had both been revealed. She had actually forgotten that she was supposed to be boarding a flight right about now.

"So what do we do now?" She asked.

"First, you need to promise me that you are not going to leave the company, and that you're not going to leave me after I've finally been honest about how I feel."

She didn't even need to think about that one. AJ had tried to convince herself that it wasn't just because of Dolph why she wanted to leave, but it was. She couldn't bear the thought of being around him if she'd poured her heart out and nothing came of it. But he had now returned her love, and leaving wasn't even in the cards now. "Deal. I'll stay in WWE and with you. What's the second thing?"

"The second and final thing is this…"

Dolph intertwined his fingers in between hers and smiled brightly. He then leaned down, and pressed his lips to hers. Their first proper kiss as more than just best friends. It was soft, gentle and everything AJ had dreamed of it being and more. His mouth moved against hers in a perfect rhythm that made her insides tingle in the best possible way. She almost cursed out loud when he ended the kiss and slowly pulled away from her.

"So, you actually are in love with me." AJ whispered to him as his head was still rather close to hers. It was hard to keep a smile off her face right now. It's strange how being told you are loved by someone can change your mood so drastically. She is happy. She is blissful. All the pain and heartache felt like it was worth it just to be in this moment.

"Yes, I am." He replied. "I am in love with my best friend."

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**Are you guys happy that they're finally together now? I am! The story hasn't finished folks, I think I may be able to give you some chapters of them together as more than just friends. Let me know what you thought of this chapter and I hope you liked it. :)**


	22. Chapter 22

**I am so, so, so sorry for taking a long time to update! It's a long story, but I've been so busy. Anyway, here's another chapter and I hope you all enjoy.**

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**Saturday 6****th**** October**

Reflecting back upon the last few days, AJ didn't know how she could have thought for even just a second about leaving WWE. Did things really get that bad that she would leave her dream behind? Just a few days later, it honestly felt like the drama surrounding AJ, Dolph and Layla was a lifetime ago. Luckily for AJ, she got the dream ending to the disaster that she was certain wouldn't happen.

Dolph confessed his love for her in such a twisted yet beautiful way. What more could she possibly ask for? She had rekindled her friendship with Kaitlyn, who was currently sat by her side now in the locker room for a house show. She had the man she'd been pining for after so long and she was the general manager in a company she had grown up dying to work for. It was such a contrast to things earlier on this week.

The only problem was, could she really say Dolph was hers now? He only ended things with Layla on Wednesday, that break up is still new and fresh, and it wasn't exactly like AJ's dating Dolph right now. He hasn't brought up dating to AJ. In fact, the two people who have newly confessed their love just mere days ago had barely talked since they were at the airport.

"So, you haven't seen him since you two were at the airport?" Kaitlyn asked AJ as she laced up her boots for the show tonight.

"Nope." AJ groaned." We've texted each other a few times and had a phone call last night, but the last time I saw him was right before I had to get on the plane to Stamford."

"I can't believe that you two had yet another love declaration moment and again you ended up leaving each other."

"It wasn't my fault, I had a meeting that I had to be in!"

"That doesn't matter, he should have gotten on the plane with you and booked a hotel room so after your meeting, you two could have finally gotten frisky."

"Kait!" AJ gasped and then hit her friend on the arm for being so blatant. "Just because he told me he loves me doesn't mean I'm going to jump right into bed with him."

"Don't be such a prude and act like you're not eager." Kaitlyn stuck her tongue out at her. "This thing between you two has been over a year in the making, I bet you're both dying to jump each other's bones."

AJ's mood dropped a little after hearing Kaitlyn saying that. It wasn't that what she was saying wasn't true, because it absolutely was. AJ _wanted _Dolph in that way, it was only natural when she is head over heels for the guy. It was more about how this has been a year in the making. It honestly has, but it's been a year of them being best friends. It still felt a little weird for her to now be making a transition from best friends to something more with Dolph, something intimate. What if it ends up being awkward for them? Hell, they haven't even been on a date or anything yet, who knows how it's going to turn out. Perhaps they wouldn't be able to work as a couple, and the thought of that is what's really getting to AJ right now.

"Is something the matter?" Kaitlyn asked her friend, shaking her from her thoughts.

"Erm, well…" AJ shuffled a little closer to Kaitlyn on the bench. "If I'm being totally honest, all of this is a little scary for me."

"Why?"

"Because it's like you said, it's been a year in the making. He's been the person I'm closest too for a full year, and I like the idea of our story maybe being best friends who fell in love, but what if it doesn't work out? It's been a couple of days and he hasn't even asked me on a date, and then what if he does ask me on a date? What if it ends up being completely awkward, and we discover that we can't work as a couple, so we're just stuck being two people with these feelings and-"

"AJ, AJ, relax girl!" She tried to calm her down. "You're rambling on here, and I'm starting to lose track of what the main problem is. So, take a breath, and tell me again what's troubling you."

She did as Kaitlyn told her to, and took a large breath before speaking. "I'm scared that our close friendship may make dating each other awkward and whatever happens between us could fail before it's even began."

"Right, I think I understand where you're coming from now." Kaitlyn nodded in response and then repositioned herself on the bench so she was facing AJ better. "First thing I'm going to say is, you do realise that the two of you have practically been in a relationship for the past year anyway, right?"

AJ rolled her eyes in response. "We've been extremely close, but it's not like it was a relationship."

"Are you sure? Because I've barely been part of your life in the time you've been friends with Dolph, but from what I've seen, even I know that you two may as well have been together with just how close you guys are. Not much is going to change between you two, the only difference is, you guys are gonna be kissing more and end up in bed together every night."

"Maybe that's the problem. Being intimate with each other changes the whole dynamic of our relationship, and it could end up making things awkward. You've heard that common expression, 'sex changes everything'."

"Girl, are you listening to yourself right now?" Kaitlyn chuckled. "This is Dolph Ziggler you're talking about here. He's a man thousands of girls are dying to have sex with, and none of them can have him because he only wants you. He is gorgeous, and you're crazy about him, pardon the expression, so I think you're just overthinking this and everything will turn out okay."

AJ couldn't help but smirk at Kaitlyn's last comment. It did feel pretty good to know that Dolph loved her, not anybody else out of the millions of women in the world. She would see women every day flirt with him, and have that look in their eyes that said they wished they could at least spend one night with the show off. But none of them had that privilege, and AJ just might. Kaitlyn was probably right, she must be overthinking things.

"Hey, smiley girl." Kaitlyn said while pointing to something behind AJ. "Your phone's flashing, so you might wanna check that. It could be lover boy."

AJ instantly sprang up from the bench to grab her phone to check who was messaging her. It was in fact Dolph, and she felt a flutter in her stomach just knowing he was texting her. The feelings that Dolph brought on were insane, and it baffled her that she never realised she felt so strongly about him up until a few months ago.

'_Hey! I know we're in the same building right now but I don't know when I'm going to get the opportunity to see you before the show finishes because I'm so busy. I thought I'd text you instead to let you know that I'm taking you on a late night date tonight after the show, no excuses are good enough. I'll be waiting out in my car at about 11, see you later on x'_

A huge smile broke out onto AJ's face and she jumped up in the air as giddy as someone who has just won the lottery. "He's taking me on a date!" She shouted out to Kaitlyn as if she couldn't hear, even though she was the only other person in the locker room with her.

At least, she _was _the only person in the locker room with AJ, right up until somebody else walked in too.

Layla was here.

Kaitlyn nodded towards Layla so AJ would stop jumping around and take notice, and AJ felt so terrible for her when realising she was present. Of all the times Layla could have walked in, she walked in when AJ was acting like a complete fangirl over Dolph asking her out.

"So, this guy you're going on a date with." Layla let out an awkward laugh. "I'm guessing that it's Dolph, right?"

AJ felt like she couldn't move at all. She was completely stiff. She felt like it would be the bitchiest thing ever to let her know that the man who she broke up with three days ago now was taking her out on a date. The situation sounded so utterly bad when put like that.

"It's okay you know AJ. I actually encouraged Dolph to go after you because I knew he had some hidden feelings, so if you're dating now, it's really okay."

"I- I don't… I feel so bad about it, Layla, I-"

"Sure, that's why you were just jumping around happier than I've ever seen you."

Ouch. That seemed pretty low from Layla. On the one hand yeah, AJ was over the moon about Dolph taking her out on a date, but that didn't change how she felt bad for Layla. Sure, they were at odds earlier on this week, but AJ was basically the reason for splitting Dolph and Layla up, so she still felt really guilty about that.

"I'm sorry, AJ, that was a bitchy comment from me." Layla spoke. "Look, can we just get this awkwardness out of the way and have a clean slate please? You and Dolph are a thing now, and I actually am happy for you guys, and we need to at least try to get along because we have to work in the same building almost 300 days of the year, so…"

"I agree. I think having a clean slate sounds perfect. No more catfights."

Layla laughed at AJ's words and then stuck her hand out for AJ to shake hands with her. "A truce?" Layla coyly asked.

AJ smiled again. Things really were seeming to be going great. To go from fighting outside of a club to be calling a truce in less than a week, it was nice to know that Layla wasn't bitter about all of this even though she had every right to be. AJ gladly shook hands with Layla, signalling that there was no bad blood between the two. "A truce."

Layla smiled brightly and then proceeded to pick up some of her things from the locker room to make her exit, leaving AJ alone again with a very confused Kaitlyn. AJ turned around and noticed the odd look on her face.

"What's with you?" AJ asked.

"Something seems off about her, I'm scared that she might be trouble in the future."

AJ didn't have a clue what Kaitlyn was on about. As far as AJ was concerned, Layla was being so good about everything, and she wasn't going to be suspicious over someone being so reasonable.

"I don't agree with you there, Kait. I think she's being so nice about everything considering I'm why she's no longer with Dolph. She could have been a first class bitch about all of this and have every right to be."

Kaitlyn looked hesitant to agree with AJ, but then gently nodded. "You're right, she could have been a lot worse about you and Dolph, but I just get a feeling that maybe she's not totally sincere about being okay with it. I don't know, maybe I'm just sceptical, that's all."

It was understandable to be sceptical of Layla, and in all honesty, AJ wasn't going to completely trust that Layla may not be a problem at some point in the future. The ability of trusting people was shot after seeing John sneak around with Nikki Bella, so now there were only a few people AJ trusted, Dolph and Kaitlyn being at the top of that list. But AJ had just called a truce, so as of right now, Layla wasn't an issue at all.

AJ looked down at the phone in her hand again to see the message from Dolph. Her stomach still felt like it was doing backflips knowing they were officially going to start dating. The worries about it being awkward were still there, but at the moment, she was too happy to finally be heading somewhere with the guy she is in love with.

_'Now why would you think I would make up excuses to go on a date with you? I'll see you later for our date. x' _


	23. Chapter 23

**Just a quick message to let people know that in this story now, I'm heading a little away from what the storylines were at that time and will do my own thing from here. Hope you're enjoying the story so far, let me know your thoughts on this chapter! :)**

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**Saturday 6****th**** October**

It was hard for AJ to do anything but stare at him while they were cruising down the streets of California. She could tell that even in the short space of time between his match back at the arena, and meeting her for their date, he had put a lot of effort into the way he looked. AJ has seen him look a total state before, she knew instantly when the man wanted to look as handsome as possible, and boy, he did. His hair was in perfect condition and slicked back, his eyes had a certain sparkle and that sensual cologne that he was wearing… she deserved a trophy for having the resistance to not be jumping his bones right now.

He was taking her on a mystery late night date, and there was something so romantic about him spontaneously taking her out tonight, it honestly made her fall for him even more. They were finally dating, and she had a gut feeling that everything was going to turn out amazingly.

"So are you not going to give me any clues as to where you're taking me?" AJ persistently asked for the fourth time within the last fifteen minutes, prompting Dolph to briefly take his eyes off the road and shoot a smile in her direction.

"No, I've already told you, it's a surprise."

"You know I don't like surprises, Dolph."

He smiled again and then took hold of her hand and kissed it ever so softly. "Trust me AJ, you're going to like this one."

AJ withdrew her hand from his and stared at him for a little while, completely in awe. How did he manage to do that? All he did was kiss her hand and yet it erupted an insanely magical feeling inside of her, something she never has experienced with any of her previous boyfriends, not that there were that many. She may have kissed quite a few people on tv, but in reality, her relationship history wasn't all that exciting. It might be getting better now though.

A few more minutes passed between them, and AJ kept looking around outside the window to try and guess where Dolph was taking her, but nothing really seemed that familiar.

"Alright, this is where I'm taking you for our date." He told her happily.

AJ gawped out of the window and saw exactly where Dolph had decided to take them for their first date. He had parked up in the parking lot of a regional park. AJ could see a lake in the distance and most of the place had lamps lighting up the area so it wasn't too dark. The two of them got out of the car and AJ looked straight over to Dolph, raising an eyebrow wondering why they were here of all places.

"We're at a park." AJ mumbled. "Not that I don't love parks, but why are we here for our first date?"

"You really don't know why?" He responded, and AJ shook her head. "We're here because of a certain movie we watched together when we first became friends."

AJ looked disconcerted with what Dolph was trying to say. What was he on about?

"Clearly you don't remember what I'm talking about, so I'll explain." He chuckled and came round to her side of the car. "When we became friends and started to get closer, you invited me over to your house for the first time after a few months, remember?"

AJ nodded to what he was saying, but wasn't quite sure where he was going with this. "Well, at your house, we ended up watching this really old comedy film from the 1950's, I can't even remember what the name of it was because it wasn't that great of a film. Anyway, there were these two characters who went on their first date in a park, late at night, and had a candlelit dinner on the grass next to the lake. You told me that you thought that was romantic, and it would be a perfect first date. I never forgot that, and I thought that maybe we could recreate it for our own first date."

Again, AJ caught herself staring up at him in awe. He never ceased to amaze her. Dolph remembered such a small detail of their history, one that AJ could only just now remember herself, and if that wasn't one of the sweetest and romantic things ever, then she didn't know what was.

"You remembered that?" AJ managed to say, even though she felt speechless.

"Yeah." He smiled. "I remember a lot of little things about you AJ, and why wouldn't I, you've been the main person in my life for the past year."

There it was. That tingly, magical feeling in the pit of her stomach. Everything about Dolph Ziggler is amazing, and AJ hated the fact that it took her so long to realise it, or to truly fall for him. No one really compared to him.

"Okay then. Let's go have this candlelit dinner by the lake, Ziggy."

Dolph leaned down and kissed her cheek, causing AJ to go slightly weak in the knees and smile like the crazy person she was portrayed to be in WWE. He went to go and pick up the stuff he'd brought for the date from the trunk of the car, while AJ walked towards the lake and found a spot just out of the light from the lamps so it wasn't too bright. AJ waited for Dolph to come over, and in the mean time she observed the beautiful lake in front of her. The moonlight was reflecting off the water, and it looked as if it was sparkling. All of the scenery was beautiful, and could the night get any more perfect?

Dolph made his way over to AJ, and then laid out a blanket on the floor. He started to unpack some food that he'd brought for the two of them, and placed a tall candle in the middle of the blanket and lit it. "You gonna come and sit down with me, or is the lake more interesting than your date?" Dolph joked and finally AJ snapped out of her gaze and sat down on the blanket with him.

"You brought a bunch of junk food for us to eat?" She asked him, looking down at all the chocolate, candy and other junk food items he had just unpacked.

"Yeah, I figured that you must have already eaten in catering today like I did, so I just brought some desserts for us to eat."

"It's like you read my mind." She told him while popping some chocolate in her mouth.

Both Dolph and AJ started eating some of the food on the blanket, exchanging looks to each other every now and then. It still felt unreal that she was here on a date with him. She was still nervous as ever to be dating her best friend, and the scared feeling that maybe it wouldn't work out was present also. But having him here, looking as handsome as she's ever seen him before, it comforted her and made everything feel amazing.

"So, how has your day been today?" Dolph questioned before taking a bite out of a blueberry muffin.

"Oh, you know, typical day really." She replied. "Got on a plane to Anaheim, got settled in my hotel, went to the gym, arrived at the arena, and I'm now finishing the day on a date with an incredibly attractive man."

"So you usually go on dates with attractive men on a typical day?"

"Oh, all the time." She quipped. "You're one of my many suitors."

"Right, I'm sure that's true, because you must have guys queuing up to date you considering how beautiful you're looking tonight."

"I have to beat them off with a stick, you're lucky I could even come out with you tonight."

"It's because I'm the most good looking out of all those guys, isn't it?"

AJ nodded and Dolph grinned at her devilishly. She loved the way they could joke around with each other and have some harmless banter. It was a special trait of their friendship, and now with the flirtiness added into it, it could be one of the best traits of their blossoming relationship.

"Oh, that's not all that happened to me today actually," AJ stopped being flirty for a moment upon remembering a situation from the locker room earlier. "I spoke with Layla earlier on today, and she managed to find out about our date tonight. It's a boring story about how she found out, but yeah, she knows we're dating now."

Dolph's expression dropped a little and she instantly felt a twinge of regret for bringing up his ex-girlfriend. "Oh, right." Was all he managed to say back to her.

"She said she's okay with it, if that makes it any better." AJ tried to cheer him up about it. "It doesn't seem like she's mad about us dating so soon after your break up with her."

"No, I didn't think she would be that mad."

AJ was a little confused by his response. Why would he think she wouldn't be mad about it? Wouldn't it be normal to assume that she would be at least upset about him dating another woman just days after splitting up from her?

"How are things between you and Layla?" AJ quizzically asked. "Why wouldn't you think she'd be mad?"

"I haven't really spoken to her since the break up." He told her. "One of the last things she said to me was that she thought I loved you and that I shouldn't hesitate about telling you how I feel. She was practically pushing me to go to you, so that's why I didn't think she would be _so _mad about us dating, because if she was, then it doesn't really make sense for her to tell me to confess how I felt."

It seemed strange to her that Layla would say something like that right after breaking up with Dolph. What normal woman who cared about a guy would push him to tell another woman that he loves her?

"She really said that?" AJ inquired.

"Yes, she did. It was pretty weird to me at first, but I'm glad she said that. It almost felt like she was letting me know she wouldn't be bitter if I did tell you that I loved you, and I wouldn't have to feel guilty for doing it so soon."

AJ half smiled at what he was trying to say, but she _did _still feel guilty about them dating so quickly after he broke up with Layla. Sure, their circumstances were different to any two people who typically date, they are in love with each other, plain and simple. But that still didn't mean that perhaps it wasn't a little too soon for them to start dating.

She started playing around with a candy wrapper and avoided looking into Dolph's eyes. "Do you think that maybe it is too soon for us to be out here like this? Maybe we should have put off dating for a while in fairness to Layla."

Dolph sensed her change in mood and reached over to take hold of her hands. "AJ, if you're feeling guilty about this, I totally understand, but you really don't have to be. I meant it when I told you I was in love with you, and it is a little weird because I broke up with Layla not so long ago, but I can't hold off from being with you because of that. Could you?"

He put his finger underneath her chin and lifted her head up so she couldn't avoid looking at him, and their eyes were now locked onto each other's. Those darn blue eyes of his melted her heart. Of course she couldn't resist being with him just because of Layla, and maybe to some that was inconsiderate, but she couldn't deny love. They want to be with each other, that's the end of the story. She did feel guilty, and maybe she will for a while. But they are going to date each other now, because they can't keep their love inside anymore, they have to explore it.

"No, I couldn't." She murmured, her voice sounding just a little louder than a whisper. "We are both in love, the rest shouldn't matter."

All of AJ's nerves and scared feelings seemed to die down by just staring into those gorgeous eyes. The date may have only just started, but already she was feeling the whirlwind of love overcome her, and all she wanted to do was kiss him. And if she wasn't mistaken, Dolph felt the same way as she could see him slowly lean his head closer towards hers.

He tangled his fingers in with her hair and placed his hand on the back of her head, gently pulling her head closer to hiss until their lips met in a long awaited, passionate kiss. The feel of his lips were soft, and this was all so perfect. They both started to move their lips against each other, still keeping it slow and sweet until she felt his tongue glide across her lower lip. It was heating up between them, and AJ felt like she had no control over her body when she quickly broke apart from their kiss to blow out the candle, and then climb over into his lap and went right back to kissing him, this time it was rough and hard instead of gentle.

He was more than willing to reciprocate the vigorous kiss, and his hands roamed up and down her back. Suddenly, the sound of AJ's phone started to ring, and she groaned against him and broke apart yet again. "Maybe I should get that." She whispered and he shook his head before quickly pecking her lips.

"If it's important, they will call back or leave a message." He breathed, and leaned up to kiss her again, which she smiled into. She threaded her fingers in between his strands of hair, and Dolph leaned back to lay on the blanket, still connected with AJ in an intense liplock. This moment felt incredibly wild and amazing, but no one was around and if AJ wanted to kiss the man she loves passionately, then that's exactly what she would do.

Her phone stopped ringing, but mere seconds later, it rang again. AJ reluctantly pulled away from Dolph for the third time and then mimicked his words. "If it's important, they will call back." Dolph rolled his eyes, but smiled and picked up her phone to give to her. He noticed the caller ID before handing it over. Zack was the person who was persistently calling her phone. Odd considering that Zack and AJ weren't all that close.

AJ took the phone out of his hands and looked at who was ringing, and once she saw the name, her expression was the same as Dolph's. Confused.

"Zack? What's up?" She asked him, still straddling Dolph's waist.

Zack proceeded to tell her why he was calling her up quite late at night, and Dolph saw her face fall and she got up from his body and started to pace around on the grass. He knew that AJ pacing wasn't a good sign.

She said goodbye to Zack and Dolph jumped up from the floor to see if she was okay. "Are you alright, what's the problem?" He asked her.

"It's Kaitlyn, she… she…" AJ was stuttering on her words, and Dolph noticed that her hands were shaking. "She had a c-car crash on the way out of the arena and… and she's now in the hospital, and Zack was… Zack was ringing from the hospital. He's with her, and she's in a bad way, and I…"

AJ could barely even speak because she was in a state of shock, so Dolph pulled her close to him to calm her down.

"It's okay, let's head over the hospital right now. Everything is going to be fine."


	24. Chapter 24

**Saturday 6th October**

The white double doors flew open and a petite 115 pound, shaken up woman stormed through them, on a mission to find where her friend was. Dolph trailed behind her, trying to keep up, wanting to help her find Kaitlyn as soon as possible. The two of them speedily walked through the hospital ward until they saw Zack standing by the reception desk.

"Finally, you guys made it here." He called out to them, and he looked so exhausted and distraught. It was an odd look to say that he wasn't too close with Kaitlyn. It was midnight though, and after seeing a car accident take place, no one could blame him for being a little out of sorts.

"Yeah, we're here" AJ marched over towards him. "Is she okay? What happened exactly? Is it serious?"

"She's going to be fine, it's nothing severe."

"Okay, good, thank god. Now, what happened to her?"

"I was coming out of the arena and I wasn't really paying attention to anything, but I know I briefly saw her walking out with her suitcase, and then as I was going over to my car, I heard a screeching sound. I turned to look and some guy, I think he was just a fan, had knocked her over."

AJ's heart sank at the thought of Kaitlyn being knocked down by a vehicle. She started to feel guilty for having such a good time with Dolph while Kaitlyn was in pain. "Whereabouts is she, Zack?" AJ asked the spiky haired man.

Zack pointed behind AJ's head and she spun around to see exactly where Kaitlyn was. There was a curtain hiding most of the hospital bed that Zack was pointing to, but she could just make out some of her two toned hair. AJ sprinted over to Kaitlyn's bedside but came to a halt when she saw how fragile she looked. Kaitlyn was bruised almost everywhere, there were several cuts on her face and body, and her arm was in a sling. Even though she looked bad, AJ was thankful that these were her only after effects from the collision, and it wasn't more serious.

"Oh my gosh, Kait." AJ walked closer to Kaitlyn's bedside and moved some of her hair from her face and away from the bloody cuts. Kaitlyn was just dozing off until AJ had briefly touched her. A half smile appeared on her face knowing that she was now there by her side.

"I thought you were on a date." Kaitlyn groggily spoke, the weakness displayed in the tone of her voice.

"I was on a date, but this douchebag friend of mine decided to go and get herself hit by a car."

Kaitlyn instantly laughed at AJ's remark, but soon started coughing and clutching at her ribs. AJ saw her wince in pain, and the guilt for making her laugh was even getting too much for her.

"So, Kait. What's the damage on your hybrid diva body?"

"A lot of bruising, broken arm and a few broken ribs. In a month or so I think I'll be back to normal and in the ring to kick some diva butt."

"Just focus on making sure you're okay now, think about getting back in the ring at a later time."

Kaitlyn smiled up at her friend and nodded in response. Tears were building up in AJ's eyes at the sight of her. She was the self proclaimed hybrid diva, one of the strongest divas currently in WWE, and here she is, a broken down version of the Kaitlyn everybody knows and loves.

"I'm so, so sorry." AJ whined.

"What are you sorry for?"

"For you being in here." She replied. "Maybe if I'd have gone with you instead of on a date with Dolph, you wouldn't be in this state right now."

Kaitlyn's eyebrows furrowed and she shook her head. "Don't be like that, it was an accident and accidents happen, AJ. You were dying to go on your first date with Dolph, so don't you dare feel guilty about it. I could have still gotten into an accident whether you were there or not."

"I know, but I still feel-"

"Don't feel anything." Kaitlyn cut her off mid sentence. "Just be a good friend and stay with me for a little while, please. They are running some tests so they can make sure I'm good enough to leave here soon."

AJ nodded at Kaitlyn, now understanding that this wasn't about her feeling guilty or whatever, it was just about making sure that Kaitlyn had her friend by her side. Kaitlyn stretched out her non-broken arm, grabbed hold of AJ's hand and squeezed it. "I'm glad that we're in a good enough place again now so that you can be here with me."

"There's nowhere else that I'd rather be, Kait."

* * *

AJ trudged down the corridor of the hospital in search of Dolph. She'd been by Kaitlyn's side for an hour, trying to keep her spirits up and not make her laugh too much so she wasn't in any pain. Dolph must have given them some time alone, and now she had to go and see where the guy who she was supposed to be on a date with right now was.

She finally found him sitting in the waiting room, his head buried in his hands. Her heart swelled upon realising he's been sat here alone, just for her for the past hour. Zack must have gone back to his hotel to get some well needed sleep. That's really what both Dolph and AJ needed to do.

"Dolph," AJ called out. "You're still here?"

Dolph's head snapped up and he nodded his head. "Of course I am, I'm the one driving the car, remember? I can't just leave you on your own."

AJ took a seat next to him and then rested her head on his shoulder. Her eyelids flew shut and she let out a long sigh. "Thank you for being amazing and waiting for me. Thanks for the date too, I was thoroughly enjoying it right up to the point where I found out that my best friend almost died."

Dolph threaded his fingers through hers and lifted her hand up to his mouth to kiss it gently. "It's no problem. It was a pretty damn good date up until then. I hope the next date we go on isn't as disastrous as this one."

AJ's head perked up, and she turned to stare at him for a moment before replying to his last sentence. "The next one?" She asked, and Dolph seemed puzzled as to why she'd say something like that.

"Well, yeah." He replied. "We're kinda together now, AJ... I plan on going on quite a few dates with you in the future."

"But, you just said it yourself, this date turned out disastrous because my friend was injured. And things haven't exactly been smooth with us getting to the whole dating part."

Dolph is now more confused than he's ever been. He couldn't quite understand what AJ was getting at right now. Was this her way of trying to end things with him? She was supposed to be in love with him, right? Why does it feel like she's pushing him away?

"I don't know what you're trying to get at, AJ. Yeah, things haven't been plain sailing, but that's life. What happened with Kaitlyn was an accident, something like that isn't going to happen again and ruin one of our dates."

"I know, but..." AJ bit at her lip, not wanting to be so negative right now, but she couldn't help it. "I guess if I'm being honest, I've had mixed feelings about all this, I'm not sure why because I really do love you, but I think I've just... I've been worried that our friendship would be ruined. And so many things have gone wrong lately, I'm scared that it's not going to work out."

Dolph slowly pulled his hand away from hers and tried to process what she was saying. He'd also been hesitant about ruining their friendship at first, but honestly he'd let all of that go. He was excited to finally be taking the next step with AJ, but seeing her like this now was making him reconsider whether she's been feeling the same way as him.

"So... do you not want to be with me, or-"

"No, no! God, no, I'm not saying that at all!" She pleaded with him. "I'm just saying... in fact, I don't know what I'm saying."

AJ started rubbing her head with her hands and then shifted her body to fully face him. "I think I'm tired and still a little emotional from all this Kaitlyn car accident stuff. I'm probably just rambling on right now, so forget about the crap coming out of my mouth. Let's just go back to the hotel and talk about this when we're both fully awake."

Dolph shrugged his shoulders. "I don't know, AJ. You seem like you know what you're saying, and I feel like you're on the fence about wanting to date me."

Another thing to make AJ feel guilty about. Making Dolph doubt what they have together. AJ suddenly gained an ounce of courage within her, leaned over and left a long, chaste kiss on his lips. When she broke away from him, luckily she could see that he seemed at least a little happier than before.

"I'm not on the fence, trust me." She said softly. "It's just that you are still my best friend you know, I do not want to ruin that at all, and I love you. Things have been so crazy in leading up to us finally dating, and I just want things to be okay."

Dolph finally started to understand what she was trying to say, and decided not to push the subject any further. "We're going to be okay."


End file.
